In the Midst
by Flypaperfornightmares7
Summary: The foster system has left Emma broken and bitter. Killian just got a second chance at a real life. But life is harsh for foster kids. Can a chance meeting as kids change their entire lives, even after they are out of the system? Or are they both to damaged to ever truly love? Multi-chapter Modern AU Story.
1. Hello Again

**New Multi chapter fic! I had this idea last night and I had to write it. I am very excited for this story. It is a modern AU. It starts when Emma is about fourteen. A few chapters in there will be a time jump to when she is an adult. In this story, Emma is placed into a new foster home, where she meets Killian. From then on, their lives and paths are intertwined.**

 **Those of you who are reading Generation Hope, I have decided to wait a little bit longer before I update anything. Do not worry though, I will not be abandoning it. Also, an update for Be My Happy Ending (my collection of one shots) will be up soon.**

 **Please follow, favorite and review.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 _Chapter 1: Hello Again_

Emma Swan hated hellos more than goodbye. Growing up in the foster system, goodbye was inevitable, but hellos were horrifying. It was just another chance for someone to take one look at her and see nothing but a broken worthless kid who has been tossed around her whole life. They would see her as a meal ticket, not a child that they could really love. Emma would be saying hello to the next potential abuser or the next person to leave her.

The back of the social worker's care seemed to be the most familiar place to Emma. She had sat there too many times to count, being taken to and from homes. Candice Housley had been her social worker for the past four years. She was a sweet woman, but to naive to the reality Emma knew. By Emma's third placement under Candice, she learned that the woman could, or maybe would, do nothing when Emma told her the horrors she experienced in the last home.

Emma tapped her fingers against the seat as she peered out the window. Boston was a great city, or so she heard. In the fourteen years she had been in the system, she had never really had much time to experience the city like she wanted to. She tried running away when she was eleven, wanting to see the world. Emma found an older girl, who was probably close to thirteen. Lily never really told her how old she was. Lily helped her get to Minnesota. They took care of themselves for three months before they got caught. Emma returned to the system and Lily returned to the juvenile corrections facility from which she had originally run.

Candice pulled the car into a driveway. Emma sucked in a gulp of air before she left the car, staying close to Candice, but not close enough that it seemed that she needed her. She didn't. Emma did not need anyone. Candice was always quiet when she was taking Emma to a new home. She had stopped saying "Maybe this is the one," or "I have a really good feeling about this one." after a while. They both knew she was lying.

An older woman met them at the door, arms spread out wide ready to embrace Emma. Emma saw Candice shake her head and the woman put her hands down at her side, but continued to grin ear to ear. "Hello, dear. You must be Emma."

Emma just nodded. The less she said to this woman the better. She would be here for a few weeks, a month or two tops. The woman must have detected her nervousness, but continued talking. "I am Mrs. Abernathy. I am so happy to have you with us."

"Us?" Emma questioned quietly.

The older woman nodded. "I have a foster son. He is a few years older than you. He is not home now-you two can meet later."

Emma gave a small nod, but did not say anything. She knew how foster brothers worked. The majority had been rude and mean. That was a best case scenario. The older and bigger boys had no problem showing Emma who was boss, no matter what it meant. The laughs they got from hurting her must have pleased them because it never stopped.

Mrs. Abernathy invited Emma and Candice into the house and led them up some stairs. The three were quiet, no one really knowing what to say. The older woman showed Emma her room and let her get her things settled. Candice took Mrs. Abernathy into the hallway while Emma unpacked.

The room was bigger than she was used to. It was one of the few times she actually had her own room, and a decent one at that. There was a real bed and a real dresser. The room was free of mold and bugs. The walls were not peeling and the carpet was not coming up. And best of all there was no one else but her.

Emma was slow to put her things away. She normally did not waste her time taking her clothes and few personal possessions out of her bag. It would not be long before she was packing her bags again, so why waste her time. But this was the first time in a long time that she had a real room, so Emma decided to take advantage of the rarity and put a few things away. She convinced herself it was for the older woman-just so Mrs. Abernathy would think she was settling in and enjoying her time here.

Emma could hear the two adults whisper in the hallway. Her name was spoken often, in hushed tones so that she could not hear. Candice was explaining to the Mrs. Abernathy that Emma was-different. She was tough, but very broken. She had a bitter shell to her. Most families had had some trouble with her. "Don't expect her to want to be involved with you guys like a family." Candice added. "She does not know how to do that. Call me if there is a problem with her. We will find somewhere else." Emma had heard social workers give that speech a hundred times. But to her surprise, Mrs. Abernathy rejected. "That will not be seems like a sweet girl. We can make this work." That was the first times Emma had ever heard something like that. No one had ever taken a chance on her. This woman was wrong though. No matter how much she tried, Emma would never be what she wanted.

Candice and Mrs. Abernathy entered the room and Emma pretended to be putting more things away,hoping the two women were oblivious to the fact that she had heard every word of their must have been because Candice just launched into her normal goodbye speech.

"Now, you be good Emma, okay? Call me if you need anything. I will be back soon for an evaluation visit." Candice explained. Emma nodded, murmuring a "Bye" when Mrs. Abernathy showed her out.

Emma was sitting on the bed when Mrs. Abernathy returned. _Here we go,_ Emma thought. This was the moment the sweet old lady turned into a monster and history repeated itself. The woman stood by the door frame, not invading on Emma's space. She must have had enough foster children in her home to know how they acted, how scared they were.

"So, dear, how old are you?" Mrs. Abernathy broke the silence.

Emma had two choices. She could keep quiet and pretend she did not hear her, just ignoring the old lady until she got the point or she could just have a civil conversation with her. Maybe it would not be the worst if she was actually real with this woman. Mrs. Abernathy seemed genuine-by far more caring than any other parent she had had.

"Fourteen." Emma answered in a still quiet voice.

"You are a pretty young thing. You will like it here, I promise." The lady insisted. Mrs. Abernathy reminded Emma of those stereotypical old ladies who would pinch people's cheeks and had candy in their purse.

"I hope so."

"Trust me, sweetheart." The woman paused. "I am going to go start dinner. The bathroom is down the hall on the right if you need it. You are welcome to anywhere downstairs. Upstairs is all bedrooms so I doubt that will interest you much."

Emma nodded and the woman left her. It felt weird to actually like a foster parent after the first old woman was sweet and kind, something Emma was unused to. She could only hope that this other foster child of hers was not a monster. Maybe Emma had finally found a real home for a few months. Somewhere she could actually be fed and be cared for. A place she could get some rest before she was launched into another home.


	2. Day One of the Rest of My Life

**Second chapter is now up! Please let me know what you think of the story so if I know whether it is worth continuing and how often I need to be updating! I am absolutely loving writing this story though.**

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 _Chapter 2: Day One of the Rest of My Life_

Dinner was good. If Emma was being honest, it was fantastic, but she would not admit that. It was the first real meal she had eaten in awhile, so maybe she had forgotten what real food tasted like. Emma could not remember the last time she had gotten to eat a home cooked meal. Certainly had not been at the last foster home she had lived in.

Mrs. Abernathy seemed delighted to get to care for another child. She spoiled Emma on her first day, letting her eat anything and even letting her use the T.V., something most foster parents had never even let her touch. Her older son was not expected to come home until later, so the older woman devoted all of her attention and energy onto Emma. Emma was not used to any type of positive attention and was not quite sure how to respond to it. The woman could pick up on her nervousness and was slow with her, not pushing her to talk to much and not asking any really personal questions.

The dinner table was a new experience too. Most of her previous foster homes had not cares where you ate, or if you are at all. Some of her homes had encouraged eating together at the table as a family, but she was not family. One set of parents, Bill and Katie, had treated her just like they treated their own two kids, Max and Zach. At that house, they enjoyed family dinners almost every night. That was until Lily reappeared in her life and she got sent back into the system.

The open and close of the front door startled Emma. She relaxed when she remembered that Mrs. Abernathy had another foster child. A teenage boy, probably about sixteen, making him two years older that Emma, walking into the kitchen to greet Mrs. Abernathy. He had dark, thick hair with piercing blue eyes and a clean face. He was tall and built well, looking possibly like an athlete, but he was not large.

"Emma, this is Killian Jones. Killian, this is you new foster sister, Emma Swan." The introduction the older woman gave them sounded more like introducing a young child to their newborn sibling rather than two teenage foster children who would only be with each other for a few months while they living in the same home.

"Swan." He repeated, getting a taste for the word. "It's a pleasure." Emma tried to hold back a laugh. No one talked like that. Killian also possessed an accent. It did not sound British. Irish, maybe.

Emma nodded and managed to whisper, "Nice to meet you," while poking at the peas on her plate. She hated the vegetable, but would never turn down food. Not when it could easily become a rarity again.

Mrs. Abernathy set a plate out for Killian and he joined them at the table. She asked him about his day at school, how practice was. _So he is an athlete_ , Emma thought to herself. Neither one of them made Emma feel like an intruder, and at the same time they did not make her feel odd because she did not know them. They acted like she had always been there.

The phone rang and Mrs. Abernathy excused herself to go and answer it. Emma focused her attention on her food rather than the boy sitting across from her. The shoveled a fork full of peas into her mouth and promptly grabbed her water to drown out the bad taste.

"Those peas aren't going anywhere." Killian broke their silence to tease her. "No need to rush."

"I'm not really a fan of peas, but when you haven't eaten in a while, you get hungry." She commented before taking another big bite.

"Of course." He said, leaning back from the table a bit. "So, Emma, how old are you?"

Emma eyed him suspiciously. He seemed to genuinely care, but most of the guys she had met wanted something from her. Something she was not willing to give. But if she was going to live in the same house as this guy for a few weeks, he would find out eventually.

"Fourteen." She told him in between bites. "You?"

"Sixteen."Killian answered.

"How long you been here?" Emma asked vaguely, but she knew he would understand.

"Five months. Six next week."

Emma set down her fork. "You getting worried that you are on borrowed time? Six months is a long time to be in one place."

"If you are asking if I am worried that she will send me back, the answer is no." Killian said curtly. "She is unlike most of the parents I have. She has full intentions of keeping me until I age out."

 _Sure she does_ Emma thought to herself, but decided it was best not to say it out loud. For some strange reason, this guy had some hope as to why she would keep him. Whatever it was, his reasons were his own and they helped him sleep at night.

"You know, Swan." He continued. "It would not be bad if you learned how to trust. You shall be here for a while and it would help you out in the long run."

"What makes you think I will be here for a while?"

"She won't send you back,lass." He told her as if it were obvious.

"She doesn't know me. Give her some time." Emma muttered, picking her fork back up to play with her peas.

"I will. And you shall see that I a right. She will not give up on you." The two heard Mrs. Abernathy's footsteps approaching the room and ended their conversation. They both smiled at the older woman as she walked into the kitchen and sat down. Killian promptly stood up and took his and Mrs. Abernathy's plates over to the sink to start washing them. Emma finished her dinner and stood to wash her plate, but Killian came over to her, shaking his head, and took it from her.

"It's your first night." He explained. "There is no need for you to be doing chores-yet." He winked.

Emma did not respond to him, but rather retreated to the living room where Mrs. Abernathy was. They small talked for a bit, switching their attention between each other and the show they were watching. Killian did not join them, but stayed over at the kitchen table, doing homework. Mrs. Abernathy teased him that he never did work at the table, no matter how much she told him he should. Killian just shrugged off the comment and returned to his work.

At one point, Emma excused herself for bed. It was still earlier, but Mrs. Abernathy did not protest her. She had had a long day the older woman rationalized. Emma made her way up the stairs to the room that she would call her own for the next few weeks. She lay on the bed, feeling softness rather than metal springs. Emma just stared at the ceiling, sprawled out on the bed, for what seemed like hours. She heard Mrs. Abernathy, and then Killian, make their way to their rooms for the night. Silence and darkness greeted her. Neither were foreign to her.

Emma continued to stare at the ceiling, thinking about everything and nothing. She wanted nothing more than to fall asleep in the comfy bed, but she fought to stay awake. _It's just one night_ she told herself. She could sleep another time.


	3. Sleepless Nights, Stir Crazy Girl

**New chapter is up! Unless the reviews tell me otherwise, I will probably keep updating about once a week. It you guys want it more often, let me know! Please keep favoriting, following and reviewing! It literally makes my day when I see those!**

 **Also, check out my collection of one shots (Be My Happy Ending). I just uploaded a new one!**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 _Chapter Three: Sleepless Nights, Stir Crazy Girl_

Emma had no clue what time it was when she heard a door open down the hall. Footsteps made their way to her room until they stopped outside her door. Emma turned in her bed, pretending to be asleep as the door opened and the individual entered. She held her breath, encountering this situation too many times. In the bad homes, someone would come and mess with her while she was asleep. Either the drunk foster fathers or the good for nothing older brothers who came in to get a quick laugh.

The figure stood over her and she remained still, motionless, hoping they would believe the sleeping act and go away. They leaned closer, never touching her, but still inches away from her face. She struggled to not squeeze her eyes shut out of instinct, but instead keep herself relaxed as if she had been asleep for hours.

"I know you're awake, lass." A voice whispered. It took Emma a few seconds to register that it was Killian. She still laid still, pretending that she had not heard him and that she was really asleep. He tried again. "You're not fooling anyone."

She finally slowly stirred, sitting up in the darkness Killian moved to turn on a lamp which illuminated the small room. He leaned against the wall and peered over at her.

"Whatever you want, just do it." Emma muttered bitterly.

"I'm not here to hurt you, love. I was just checking on you."

"Sure you were." Emma scoffed. She waited a moment for his response before she added. "And I am not your _love_."

"Believe it or not, I am not like the creeps you have encountered in your other homes. I was truly just coming to see if you had been able to sleep. My suspicions were right-you were not able to."

Emma pushed herself up a little bit more with her arms, bringing her knees to her chest and resting her head against the headboard. "And why would you think that?"

"I know at one point I stopped sleeping for the first few nights. And, love, you are something of an open book to me."

Emma wanted to ask him about his past, why he needed to stay up during the nights, but her walls went up and she attacked his latter comment. "You've known me for a few hours. I am not an open book to you, or anyone for that matter."

"That is where you are wrong." He told her, taking a step closer. "I know more about you than you care to admit. We are alike, Emma."

"We are foster kids-we are all alike." She pointed out.

Killian shook his head. "That was not what I meant. I refuse to be called the label of _foster child_. Don't you realize you are so much more?"

Emma turned her head away from him and looked at the bed. She ran a hand through the hair before turning back to him. "Never have been, never will be."

Killian moved to take the chair from her desk and bring it over to by her bed so he could sit with her. "We are more than just unwanted children with the misfortune of ending up in the system. We are people with thoughts, emotions and stories. You have a story, lass, and it's not just being in the system, even if that has been your entire life. You have a future."

"Well, my future's not looking too bright." Emma muttered again, turning her body a bit so her was looking at him head on.

"That's what they tell us." He motioned to her. "They tell us that we have no chance at success despite our past. I refuse to believe that!"

"I don't" Emma struggled to keep her voice down, remembering that Mrs. Abernathy was still asleep and would most likely have a problem with the two of them in the same room at night. "You don't know me. Don't know my past-what I have been through."

"No." Killian shook his head. "I don't. But I know me past."

"Couldn't have been any worse than mine." Emma stated, a bitter edge to her whisper.

"Couldn't have been any better, either." He said calmly. "Maybe I have not been in this system as long as you, but I have seen my fair share of pain. I am not oblivious to the fact that life can suck. I just chose to believe that we are more than our circumstances."

"You seriously believe that you could get, what, a happy ending?" Emma asked in an almost mocking tone.

"I believe I could be happy. I could turn my life around when I am out of here. Life will be hard after I age out, I know that. My _happy ending_ as you put it won't always be easy, but it is worth fighting for."

"How do you manage to stay like that with everything you've seen?"

"Someone once told me 'A man unwilling to fight for what he wants, deserves what he gets.' I refuse to give up without a fight."

"Good advice. Who told you that?" Emma genuinely asked.

"Someone from long ago." He said, a hint of sadness in his voice. He did not stay on the matter long enough for her to question it. "But it stands true-I will do this for him, I will believe that things will get better. Things get better, Emma. I understand you better than anyone else, yet I am sitting in front of you stating that life goes on and gets better. You are more than the foster child everyone sees."

No one had ever taken the time to tell her that. No one had really ever taken the time to tell her much, except how unlovable she was. He was different than anyone she had met, especially the people she had met in the system. He felt the same pain as her, knew the same life, yet chose to believe things would be better. That maybe, just maybe, one day someone could love someone like them.

But then again, that was a long shot. She barely knew this person, she could not let his word of hope cloud her judgement. The only thing Emma had ever known was pain and rejection. The feeling of being unloved and unwanted was all too real in her life and she if she opened herself up, the pain could only be intensified. He might think he knew her, but in reality, he did not, and he wouldn't want to either.

"Thank you." Emma whispered. In all honesty, she did not know how else to respond.

He just nodded and stood, returning the chair to where he had gotten it. "I should let you rest. You are probably very tired."

Emma smiled at him, saying nothing, but lying down in her bed again. He went to the lamp to turn it off, but before he did he said. "And Emma? Sleep. No one can hurt you know." The room went dark and she heard his quietly slip out the door.

For the first time in years,despite her telling herself she shouldn't, Emma slept on the first night of a new home.


	4. New Day Dawning

**New chapter is up!**

 **Response** **to reviews:**

 **Polkie2: Thank you for the reviews! They are so encouraging! You have been such a loyal reader for all my stories and I can not thank you enough for that! Hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

 **Gracie Paige Hatter: Thank you Gracie for your kind words (and for your suggestions)! I saw your last comment right after I was done writing this chapter, but I do promise that Killian's point of view is coming soon (Maybe even next chapter). Stay tuned!**

 **TLWriter4721: Thank you so much!**

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 _Chapter 4: New Day Dawning_

Emma could have slept all day if it were not for the soft knocking at her door. The knocking grew louder with each pound. She slowly peeled herself from the bed, padding her way to open the door, finding Killian on the other side.

"I'm assuming the last home didn't care when you got up?" His smirk apparent, even in the early hours of the morning.

"Didn't care if I got up. Period." Emma muttered, leaning against the door.

"Well, you don't want to be late for your first day." He explained. She raised her eyebrow at him. "Of school." Killian told her. "Do you even know what day it is?"

"Last foster home didn't have a calendar. We are lucky I know what month it is." She said. It was meant to be sarcastic, but she was to tired to try.

"Come on, Swan." He ignored her last comment. "You don't want Mrs. Abernathy coming up here after you-she's a feisty one."

"I think I can manage." She told him before closing the door. School was always an interesting experience. No one ever wanted to get to know the new kids. Not that she minded though. She would be gone within a few weeks-not enough time to actually make real friends.

Emma dressed quickly, putting on a simple pair of skinny jeans and a long sleeved gray tee shirt. She was not one for dressing fancy and she also did not have the means to do so. She was lucky she had a few pairs of pants with no holes in them. She had no idea how to do her long hair since she had had no mother to teach her. An older girl in one of her foster homes showed her how to do a braid or two, but they got separated before Emma could perfect them.

She walked downstairs in a daze, finding no one there. There was fruit and toast on the table, but she doubted it was meant for her, so she did not touch it. Emma sat down, awkwardly playing with her hands until Killian walked through the kitchen.

"You're aloud to eat, you know." He mentioned as he grabbed a sack from the fridge. Instead of verbally responding, Emma just nodded and picked up a piece of toast. She started nibbling on it until he left, then she grabbed an apple and another piece of toast. Her brain told her to slow down and pace herself, but her stomach told her that food was a rarity and to act on impulse. Her stomach won out.

Mrs. Abernathy rushed into the kitchen, slowing down only when she saw Emma sitting at the table. "Good morning, dear. You'll have to forgive me for the breakfest. I will make something more fitting for a welcome this weekend. I have something for you though."

Emma smiled at the older woman who rambled on nervously. It was nice how concerned she was about Emma's wellbeing. Someone actually caring about her was new-it was something she could get used to. Mrs. Abernathy hesitantly handed a thick, white wool knitted scarf.

"I know how cold it gets here." Mrs. Abernathy explained. "I always make scarves when they tell me I am going to get a girl. I made a hat for Killian, but he refuses to wear it. Says it will mess up his hair."

Emma gave her a small smile and whispered thank you, not knowing what else to say. She quickly put it on, hoping the woman would understand that she was better with actions than she was words. Words did not come naturally to someone who never had someone to talk to. Mrs. Abernathy seemed content with the motion, grinning ear to ear.

Killian walked in, dressed in black jeans and a leather jacket. She would think he was the typical bad boy if she had not already seen his soft side. She figured his friends did not know about that Killian though.

"Come, on Swan. Let's get going." He motioned, handing her a brown bag that she assumed was her lunch. She eyed the bag curiously before taking it, thanking him with a nod.

"Oh, have a good day you two." Mrs. Abernathy said, sounding like a stereotypical proud old lady. Emma hoped there would be no cheek pinching involved with the send off. She was surprised when the woman did not step forward and hug Killian. She most likely knew that Emma was unready for any type of physical affection, so in order to not make her feel uncomfortable, she treated her foster son the same. Killian seemed to understand.

Killian led her to the bus stop in silence. Other teenagers were there, chatting and gossipping. Emma leaned over to him. "What grade are you?" She knew he was sixteen, but what not sure about what grade he fell into.

"Junior." He told whispered back. He must turn seventeen later in the year she rationalized.

They went back to silence, but when the boarded the bus, he grabbed her hand and pulled her gently with him, leading her to sit by with him so she would not be alone. Emma was thankful for that, even if they would spend the ride in silence. Silence with someone else was better than a quiet loneliness.

The rest of the day was a haze, every memory replaying in Emma's mind in slow motion. She convinced herself it had all been a dream. She would wake up any moment and be in that dirty home with her previous foster father. The day she just had had been fake, nothing more than a manifestation of her hopes and desires.

School was not bad. For the first time in a long time, she had not hated school from the get go. Killian showed her to all of her classes and even invited her to sit with him and his friends at lunch. They were all older, but nice enough. He had a small group of friend-Will, who appeared to be a class clown; Tink (Emma was not sure if that was her real name of a nickname, but she did not dare ask); and there was Jefferson, who seemed to be a bit, well, mad.

Not many of the kids in her grade took much interest in her. One girl, Ashley, in her social studies class introduced herself and even sat with her. In biology, she was placed with two girls, Aurora and Mulan, as lab partners, and they seemed nice enough. Aurora had a very sweet personality and let Emma copy all the notes from that unit.

In Math, there was an empty seat in the back by one of the shy kids. Emma did not actually remember his name. Tony, maybe? He was a bit larger, so many of the other kids made fun of him. He was also in her English, so the two mentally agreed to sit in the back alone again.. He even said bye to her when they left English. That was a start.

Emma rode the bus alone after school since Killian had swim practice. She had never imagined him being a swimmer when she first met him. Mrs. Abernathy doted on her since she was the only child at home. Killian came home around dinner time and they had another real family dinner. The rest of the night went by without a hitch.

That night when Emma went to bed, she said a prayer for the first time in years. She prayed nothing would change and she could stay where she was. She knew that the hope was in vain, but she could let herself fall asleep imagining that she could stay here forever before the realities that came with tomorrow fell upon her when she would wake.

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	5. Perception is Key

**And it is officially hiatus season again. And it is finals time. Therefore, I need to write fanfiction in order to cope.**

 **Here is a chapter from Killian's point of view. I will do some more from his point of view as the story progresses. I am expecting this to be a bit of a longer story (judging how things are going). Like I said before, the first half is when they are teens, and the second half of the story will take place later.**

 **And as a clarification (because there was a bit of confusion), the only OUAT characters in this story so far are Emma, Killian, Tink, Jefferson, Will, Ashley (Cinderella), Aurora, Mulan, Lily and Tony (Anton the Giant. Peter and Wendy will be mentioned in this chapter. Mrs. Abernathy is NOT Granny. More Once characters will come in as the story progresses though. I have already decided how I will bring in most of them :)**

 **Enjoy! Don't forget to check out my one-shot collection, Be My Happy Ending (because we all need some fluff right now).**

 _Chapter 5: Perception is Key_

Killian ran a hand through his still wet hair, making his way to Tink's car. He was lucky his best friend had a car so he would not be walking home after practice. The blonde was nowhere in sight, most likely flirting with Peter, a senior on the swim team.

Jefferson strolled over to Tink's car where Killian was waiting for her. "What are you still doing here, mate?" Killian asked him, leaning back against the car.

"Detention. Apparently teachers don't appreciate when you steal their hats." He mumbled. Killian shot out a laugh at the image of Jefferson taking a hat from Mr. Hooper, the slightly nervous social studies teacher.

"Anyway," Jefferson said, turning the conversation off of him. "What about your new sister?"

"What about her?" Killian asked. Emma and Jefferson did not know each other well. She had only been with Killian and Mrs. Abernathy for about a week and a half now.

"She's pretty hot." Jefferson commented, leaning back on the hood of the car with Killian.

"Don't talk about my sister like that." grumbled Killian.

"Foster sister." Jefferson corrected him. Oh, how he hated the term foster.

"Doesn't matter. Don't call my sister hot."

"You like her don't you?" Jefferson teased.

"I don't like her like that, you bloody idiot. How would you like it if people went around calling Gracie 'hot'?"

"I'd punch 'um." He simply stated, as if it were a known fact. "So, no feelings for this girl at all?"

"I've known her for a week, Jefferson. Sod off."

"Well, someone is grumpy." Jefferson was having too much fun with this.

"Look, she's a nice girl. We get along because we understand each other, but that's it." Killian came close to yelling. This effectively shut Jefferson up, who smirked and walked off to his car.

Killian moved to sit on the edge of the sidewalk. Sure, Emma was a nice girl, but he did not now here. All he knew was she was a foster kid and she believed that her identity was found in that label. She saw no hope for the future, not hope for the present.

He knew where she was coming from, though. The despair, the loss of hope- it was all too familiar to him. He remembered the pain, the knew the pain. It was still there. Just because his life had gotten better did not mean he did not remember the things he had seen in other homes, the things he had lived through in his lifetime, the ever-growing list of things he had lost.

Emma's pain was fresh though. It was still an open wound. He had been safe for months, she was still scared of being sent back. If he was honest, the fear did creep into his head into the late hours of the night when he still couldn't sleep. The nights where he would wake up from the nightmares, sometimes the old lies would come back and remind him who he was, what he was-a foster kid.

The nightmares never went away. It was always the same plot, just different variations. He woke up in a cold sweat with everyone of them. He never screamed though-he learned early on to never scream in the night. Some nights he would cry himself back to sleep, but other nights, he was to broken to feel anything. He wished he could cry because feeling hurt was better than feeling empty.

Killian clenched his fist, pushing the negative thoughts away. It was bad enough those nightmares plagued him at night, he did not need them during the day too. He knew where Emma was coming from, the pain she felt. Even if he had not had her exact upbringing, he knew. The two of them had faced very different struggles, but at the end of the day, they both understood the other in a way most couldn't.

She was still bitter. He was bitter too , but just much better at hiding it. Emma was an open book to him. Her eyes screamed abandoned. Most people would think she was just a sad girl, but he knew. He could read her like a book because she was the same as him. They were more alike than either of them cared to admit.

A year and a month. That was all he had left. A year and a month until he turned eighteen and he aged out. He would not longer be under Mrs. Abernathy's protecting wing. The real world was hard, that much he knew. He had been exposed to the real world well before his due time, as had Emma. But she had another four years (three years and five months she told him).

For kids who had been exposed to the real workings of the world at such a young age, they were not ready. They had no way of it out there. Despite the brave face he put on, Killian had no plan for the future. He had no money for college and nowhere to after he aged out. Sure, Mrs. Abernathy would not kick him out, but she was not in a position to help him financially. Even if she was, he would not want her too. She had already helped him so much, he did not want to become a burden when she could potentially take in other children.

"Penny for your thoughts." A voice broke brought him back to reality. He looked up to see Tink standing above him, waiting for him.

"Just waiting for the little missy while she flirted with her Prince Charming." He teased her, standing and grabbing his bag. She shoved him, not so gently.

"I was asking Peter for advice on swimming, not asking him out. And he most definitely not my 'Prince Charming.'"She mocked his voice.

"Sure, lass." He muttered as she unlocked the car and he got in on the passenger's side.

"It's true." Tink tried to convince him while she got in and started the car. "Besides, I think he's got a thing for the new freshman, Wendy."

"Well, she is a pretty lass." He commented.

"You aren't supposed to be saying that." Tink told him. "You have Emma."

"Why does everyone think that?" He groaned.

"Same thing with Peter and I. People see what they want."

 _People see what is there._ Killian though, but there was no way he was saying that out loud.


	6. Demons Lurking

**Sorry for the delay with the new chapter. Finals week is rough, but almost over. For all of you taking finals right now, or getting ready to-you can do this! Your grade does not define you!**

 **We are starting to get into Emma's and Killian's past a bit more. Both have some pretty big secrets and demons that will be exposed as the story progresses. You'll have to read to find out!**

 **Thank you for all the support with this story. It means so much!**

 _Chapter 6: Demons Lurking_

Two weeks. Emma had been in one spot for two whole weeks. To top that, Emma had been happy in one place for two weeks.

What was happening?

Emma could not remember the last time she felt happy at a new home. She almost was enjoying her time here. Mrs. Abernathy was wonderful. The older woman absolutely loved Emma and made her feel safe and special. She made sure Emma was fed, her homework was done, she went to bed on time, and she was happy.

 _Maybe this is what it feels like to have a mom_ Emma thought.

Emma lost all hope for having anything close to a parent a long time ago. When she was little, she would dream of her real parents finding her, and when she realized that that would never happen, she let herself believe that someone would adopt her and she would get a new family. But as she grew older, she saw that no one would ever look at her as a daughter. No one would ever take her in.

Except Mrs. Abernathy. The older woman still had not sent her back. She had not even threatened to send her back. Candice, Emma's social worker, had been very shocked at her first evaluation. Normally within that first week, something would have gone wrong and the parent would be complaining to Candice. Instead, Mrs. Abernathy bragged about how well Emma would do at school and told Candice what a delight Emma had been.

The second evaluation was scheduled for three weeks from then. Emma was to be on a monthly schedule. It was required that the social worker have an evaluation within the first week of a new placement, but after that the gap between visits could be as long as six weeks. Emma was normally on a four week schedule since she had troubling staying in one spot.

When Candice spoke with Emma alone, she ran through the same procedure she did at the other houses. At the end, she lowered her voice and leaned in closer. "Are you sure you like it here?" Emma offered a simple nod and whispered. "More than the others." That was good enough for Candice.

It was midday Saturday and the house was quiet. Mrs. Abernathy was running some errands and Killian was finishing homework. He did not strike her as the studious type, but he insisted that it had to get done at some point. Swimming kept him pretty busy he told her, plus he wanted to go out with his friends that night.

Emma worked on her own homework at the kitchen table. In other houses, she would have secluded herself to her room, but she was not afraid of being out in the open with Mrs. Abernathy and Killian.

Killian came down the stairs, walking into the kitchen and reaching for an apple. He didn't say anything to Emma until he was a few bites in. "So, lass, how's the school work?"

"Why do you call people lass and love?" Emma asked, ignoring his original question.

Killian leaned against the counter. "Cultural, I guess."

"Where you from?" Emma had been with this guy for two weeks and still knew little about him. But, then again, he knew nothing about her.

"Ireland."

"How'd you end up here?" She questioned, setting down her pencil on her book.

"Well, that's quite a story." Killian threw out the apple core and came to sit down at the kitchen table. "But I am more interested in your story."

"I thought I was an open book to you." Emma challenged him.

Killian sighed. "I said you were an open book, not that I am a mind reader." Emma smirked at him, but he continued. "So, what's your story, love?" He asked, putting emphasis on the last word.

"What do you care?" Emma's walls shot up fast. She was not good with real conversations like this. Most previous foster parents got her story from the social worker and no one else bothered to ask. No one else bothered to care.

"Try something new, Darling. It's called trust. Is it so hard to believe that perhaps I may actually care about you?"

"Given my record with people-yes." She answered honestly.

"My record is not much better. I know what it is like to be hurt and how hard it is to trust. But I also know someone I can trust when I see them."

"Why do you think you can trust me?"

"Real question is, why don't you think you can trust me?" Killian retorted. Emma had no reasons not to trust him in particular, but had reasons not to trust people in general. People hurt her. People left her. People were not to be trusted. "Lass, I know what it is like to be abandoned. I won't do that to you. I don't intend to let you down."

Emma brushed off the last comment with a small laugh. "You've known me for two weeks."

"Then let me know you better."

Emma took a breath. She had nothing to gain and everything to lose. Her better judgement told her to shut herself off, to ignore him and his prodding questions. But, something deep down told her that she could trust him. What was the worst that could happen?"

"I was found on the side of the freeway when I was a baby. This family, the Swans, was going to adopt me, but they got pregnant and sent me back." Emma explained, her voice not once wavering. She knew her story inside and out and knew how to condition herself so she would not show emotion. "After that I was tossed around the system."

Killian nodded. He did not comment about how sad the story was like most people. Instead he asked her, "Favorite home?" Emma did not answer at first and he spoke again. "We all have one. Mine would be this one, but not counting here, it would be the second home I went to. The Hathaways. They had two other children-a boy, Thomas, and a girl, Lucy. It felt like all of us were actually a family.."

Emma took in his story. From what is sounded like, he entered the system at an older age. or he spent a long enough time at his first home that when he entered the next home he was old enough to have such a vivid memory of it. "What happened?" Emma asked.

"From that I gathered, they could not afford it anymore. They had a hard time providing for the two kids let alone two others."

"Two?" Emma said. He had not mentioned another foster child during his story.

"Aye." He nodded his head. "So, what was your favorite home?"

"The Whites." Memories of the Whites' flooded dinners and potential vacations. She remembered everything she had lost. "Bill and Katie. They had two boys-Zach and Max. They treated me like family."

"What happened?"

"Something from my past messed it up." Emma thought of Lily. She pushed the thought out of her head "What's your story?"

"Went into the system young." He answered simply.

"That's not your story." Emma saw through his lie. "You don't have to tell me."

He looked down at the table and ran his hand through his hair. "Aye, your right. I haven't been entirely forthright. My past is ugly, love."

"Can't be any uglier than mine."

"That's not a contest either of us want to win, Swan."

The two of them sat in silence for a few moments. He did not offer his story and Emma did not push him. She knew how hard it was to open up. She would not make him do something that he was not ready to do.

"I think if things were under different circumstances we could be friends." Emma finally broke the silence.

Killian raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair. "Do tell, Swan."

"I just mean," She tried to explain. "We are alike, even past the fact we are foster kids. I think we would have gotten along."

"But our label makes it so that friendship is not even an option?" He countered.

Emma sat up straight and pushed her books farther back. "I know you think you are immune to everything, but your not. I can tell you've got wounds too, even if you don't want to admit them. You have a hard time trusting, just like me. So, why the act?"

"No act, love."

"You know, the whole open book thing works both ways." Emma informed Killian.

"You're quite perceptive."

"Have to be. I was forced to grow up quick. And so were you. You know what that did to you. Why are you pretending that none of this bothers you?" Emma pushed. There was a reason he was not opening up, despite his insisting she do that very thing and trust him. He had his walls up as high as she did, just had a better time at hiding them.

He stood up quickly, almost as if he were angry. He paced for a moment before turning back to face her. "You know what, Swan." He said, calmer than she was anticipating. "I have had a pretty rough go of it. Things have been hard and I won't lie and say it never affects me. But I am just trying to look out for myself."

Emma did not respond. She was not sure what he meant, but did not want to probe. His past clearly had been ugly and there was something that had happened that had made him the way he was. He would not, could not, open up. He did not let himself get close to people and see his pain. He was not a hypocrite-pushing something on her that he could not do himself. He just wanted more for her. He wanted her to learn how to trust, even if he felt that he could never do the same.

Maybe the two of them were more alike than she thought. If that were true, Emma could perhaps be close with Killian. She could trust herself. He was one of the first people she met who completely got it. He understood the pains of the system and saw the effects it had on someone.

The opening of the front door brought them both back. Emma stood quickly to greet Mrs. Abernathy, but changed her mind. She went over to Killian. "You can be apart of something you know."

Emma turned around to make sure Mrs. Abernathy was still in the living room. Killian still had not said anything, so she continued hurriedly. "I just mean-maybe we can be friends while I am here. I think we both could use someone."

"What about being foster kids?" He asked her.

"Someone once told me that we are more than that label. Maybe it's time I start trying to believe that."


	7. Old Too Early

**New chapter up and its a bit longer, but by far one of my favorites! Digging even deeper into Killian's (And Emma's to a degree) backstory. With Emma, it is obviously going to take a while to break down all those walls and figure out what exactly has happened to her in all those homes. So far, you know only the surface of these two characters! I am so excited to show you all I have in store for them!**

 **Thanks for reading! If you are in need of some fluff, check out my one shot series Be My Happy Ending.**

 **Enjoy!**

 _Chapter 7: Old Too Early_

Emma Swan could not remember the last time she went to a was a rare occurrence in the system to find oneself at a restaurant. Most of the families she had been with either did not have the money to take them out to eat or simply did not want to treat her to something like that , given the fact she was not their biological child.

But as Mrs. Abernathy showed her time and time again, she was different. She cared about both Emma and Killian very deeply. Whether it be about school, food or anything else, the older woman made sure they were taken care of and happy. She wanted them to both enjoy this time she told them-they should enjoy their childhood.

No one had ever told Emma that and she assumed the same went for Killian. Killian was still an enigma to her, though. There were things he was hiding, past secrets he would not tell her. Not that she blamed him-she had not been open about everything that had happened to her in her past. Emma could tell that he had been hurt, very much so, and it stemmed from more than the abandonment and the feeling of being alone. Something must have happened. She wouldn't push him though-he could tell her on his own time, if ever.

Dinner was filled with light conversation, laughter-everything Emma imagined dinners should be like. Her walls were still sky high, but she saw them slowly coming down, even if it was only a brick at a time. She was to scared to trust Killian or Mrs. Abernathy, to feel comfortable in this new home out of the fear of being sent back. No one ever kept her and no one ever loved her. She knew, despite what they would tell her, she was just damaged goods.

But that did not mean she could not let herself be happy, just for a little bit. She could enjoy these moments, the dinners and the games nights and all those things that Mrs. Abernathy insisted they do. She could enjoy them until she was sent back for messing it all up.

The night went by without a hitch, until the check came. The waitress, a young girl in her twenties, gave them the check and said, "You and your grand-kids have a nice night"

Grand-kids. She thought they were family. Mrs. Abernathy did not correct her-it was an honest mistake. An older woman with two teenagers-to any passing eye, that was what it looked like, a grandmother with her two grand-kids. But Emma knew the truth. No matter what she wanted, they were not a family. She would never have a family. She was an orphan.

Killian seemed less phased by the comment. He had been with Mrs. Abernathy for seven months at that point and probably had been mistaken for her grandson many times, to the point where it no longer made him flinch. But this was new to Emma. In other homes, if she was mistaken for a relative, a foster parent of sibling would make sure everyone knew what she was-the foster kid.

The car ride home was filled with conversation and laughter, just as it always was. Mrs. Abernathy wanted to hear everything about school, swimming, or anything really that either of them were involved in. She did not seem to pick up on Emma's reaction to the waitress's comment, but Killian detected that something was off. He always did. No matter what she wanted to be true, he could read her like an open book.

Later that night, some point after Mrs. Abernathy retired for bed, Emma found herself outside on the old porch swing. The crisp evening air was comforting and the setting sun provided something to gaze at while she cleared her head. She knew it was only a matter of time before Killian confronted her. In the short time that they had known each other, Emma felt a strange connection with him. He was one of the few, perhaps the only, people that she felt that she could trust. With almost everyone she met, she felt a feeling in the pit of her stomach, telling her that they were not to be trusted, but that was not there with him.

That terrified her. This guy was different than anyone she had ever met. Killian understood her, took time to try and break down her walls, a task few tried and none carried out. He was determined to get to know her, the real her, not just the walls and the fears.

Emma's life was too unstable for any type of real romantic relationship. To add to that, she was to young, and yet, despite her few years, to broken. At fourteen, she had seen a lifetime of pain and experienced too many heartaches. Emma did not see Killian that way though. Maybe she could some day, but she was to damaged to ever have a real would age out of the system in less than two years and never look back. She didn't want him to look back-she wanted him to get away from this life and find a better one.

As if on cue, Killian came into the yard, breaking her from her thoughts. He sat down on the other side of the porch swing, creating a squeaking noise. Killian stared straight, not looking at her.

"I'm just gonna need some time." Emma started before he could ask her anything. "This is all new to me. I haven't been in a good home in a while."

Killian slightly nodded, still looking straight ahead. He sighed. "Was it the grandchild comment?"

Emma chuckled to herself, replaying the _open book_ phrase in her head. "Yeah. It just took my by surprise, that's all."

"When did you stop believing that you would get a family?" He asked her, cutting straight to the point. He never danced around the issue with her. There was no point-the two of them understood each other in a way that most did not.

"I don't know." Emma answered truthfully. "I was young. I moved around a lot after my first home. I think maybe when I was seven. I was in a home for two weeks before they got rid of me. I saw that no one would ever adopt me because I was getting too old." _And was too damaged._ Emma thought.

"I was a bit older, I assume, but I was not in the system from birth like you." Replied Killian, running his hand through his thick, dark hair. "Nine maybe."

"How old were you when you got into the system?" Emma asked. He still had never told her anything about his reasons for being in the situation he was.

"Seven. Moved to the states at six, placed into the system at seven." Killian stated as if he were reading off facts.

"Why were you-" But Emma cut herself off. If he wanted her to know his past, he would tell her. She did not want to push him into something with which he was uncomfortable.

"Sick mother, dead beat father." Killian gave a dry laugh. "My mother died when I was six. My father would have gone completely insane if we had stayed in Ireland, so he moved us here-said it was the best option for his boys. He walked out about seven months later."

Emma sat silent. She knew what abandonment was, what it felt like, but he knew. He was old enough to remember being left alone and had to live with that every day. "I'm sorry." She whispered. "I can't even imagine. Was it just you?" Emma hoped she was not pushing too far into his personal life, but something in her gut told her she was alright. They understood-she knew how much she could handle, and he could handle the same, if not more.

Killian finally looked at her, on the verge of tears. His eyes watered, but his voice was emotionless, most likely forced. "Older brother." He told her, regaining composure. "A year older than me."

Emma mentally figured out that this brother could be eighteen, if the months worked out right, meaning he had already aged out of the system. Clearly this was a sensitive topic for him though, so she chose not to question it further.

Killian changed the subject, slightly. "Do you ever imagine yourself having a family in the future?"

 _Was this guy a mind reader or something?_ Emma thought, remembering what was going through her head before Killian joined her. "Don't know. Probably not-I have never really been family material."

"Aye, same. I would love too,but I fear that my past might hold me back."

"I thought you said that you could have a future regardless being a foster kid?" Emma reminded him.

"When I said that, I was trying to get both of us to believe it, love. You are really the only one that understands this. It's hard to imagine a future when your past has been so-"

"Sucky?" Emma offered.

Killian laughed. "I was going to say hard, but _sucky_ works too."

"Well," Emma told him, seriously, despite the lightness in her voice. "I hope you get the future you want. You deserve it after your sucky past."

"So do you, love."

Emma nodded, not really believing him, but not having the energy in her to put up a fight. She let out a yawn that she had been suppressing for a good bit of their conversation.

Killian stood up. "Alright, lass. Bedtime." He extended her hand to her. Emma took it without hesitation.

"May I escort the princess to her room?" He teased and Emma could not hold back her laughter. He pretended to be hurt. "What? I am just trying to make sure that you make it to your room safely!"

"My room is on the second floor, not on the other side of town!" Emma pointed out, her voice raising a bit. She enjoyed this-just having normal conversations like normal teenagers.

He tugged on her hand and led her into the house. "Yes, but no matter how far the journey, it is my job to make sure you arrive in one piece."

"So now you're being a gentleman?" She poked fun at time.

He leaned closer to her, appearing as if her were going to whisper in her ear. "I am always a gentleman." She smiled and he pulled her up the stairs, still with a firm grasp on her hand. Emma was thankful that Mrs. Abernathy was asleep because, no matter how platonic it was, seeing her two teenage foster children holding hands might raise some flags.

"Could have had me fooled. I think you are more of a pirate."

"If I am a pirate, then you are a princess." He joked back as they made their way to outside her room, making sure to keep their voices down as to not wake Mrs. Abernathy.

"I am the farthest thing from a princess that their is."

"Well then, you can just be my princess." He said. Suddenly she was aware that they were still holding hands. He must have felt the awkwardness after his last comment and decided that now was the time to let go. "I think you have some pirate in you too." He added, trying to get away from what he said earlier, a comment that surely came out wrong.

"Well, that means a lot coming from a pirate like you." She opened her door and leaned against the frame.

"Well, love, I suppose I should let you get to sleep. Even pirates need their rest." He took a step back. "Goodnight Swan."

"Goodnight, Killian."


	8. The Everyday and the Mundane

**Response to reviews:**

 **paupaui- I am so glad that you are enjoying this! Thanks for reading!**

 **TLWriter4721-Thank you so much! The chapters are starting to get a bit longer as I have a lot of story to tell! Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

 **Thank you all for reading! Hope you are having a wonderful holiday season!Stay tuned for more (A chapter from Killian's point of view is coming soon, as well as more into their past)**

 _Chapter 8:The Everyday and The Mundane_

"Where are you going?" For the first time in her life, Emma felt like an annoying little sister bothering her older brother.

"Out." Killian repeated for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"Out where?" Emma persisted.

"Swim team meeting." He said, walking into the living room to see if Mrs. Abernathy was ready to go, leaving Emma alone in the kitchen.

Something was off with what he said. Emma, from the time she was little, had had an act for telling when people were lying. And Killian, he was lying. She felt the strange ting in her belly and something went off in her head. She knew he was lying, but why? Why wouldn't he tell her something as simple as where he was going? He, the one constantly pushing her to trust him, was lying to her.

Emma rolled with it, deciding that she would bring it up later, when he was not walking out the door and Mrs. Abernathy was not with him. She did not want the older woman to hear what, knowing the two of them, would most likely become a heated conversation.

"Emma, dear, we'll be back in about two hours." Mrs. Abernathy entered the kitchen, smile on her face. "Don't open the door and if anything goes wrong give me a call or go to the Davenporth's across the street, okay?" The nervousness was evident in her voice. This was the first time she had left Emma home alone in the past month. Emma convinced herself the nervousness was about Emma's well being and not the idea that the young teen might steal something and then run off.

"I'll be fine." Emma assured her. "You two have fun." She stepped around Mrs. Abernathy to see Killian. "Bye."

"Bye, Swan. Be good now." He smirked.

"You two, pirate."

* * *

Emma found herself on that old porch swing more often than not now. It was a peaceful place to think,and she had a lot to think about. It would only be a matter of minutes before her silence was disrupted though.

Mrs. Abernathy and Killian, true to their word, got home around two hours after they left. Mrs. Abernathy was relieved to find Emma still there and in one piece. Killian, however, seemed grumpier than when he left. He went to his room until dinner was ready and remained quiet for most of the meal. Mrs. Abernathy did not push him to talk, rather turning the conversation to Emma, asking about school and how she was liking things. To be honest, the spotlight, something Emma never had growing up, felt a bit weird.

" _So, Em, what's your favorite class? Ninth grade is such an exciting year." The older woman doted in between bites of her pasta._

" _English, I think. I've kinda always enjoyed it."_

 _The older woman seemed delighted with her answer. Emma loved how she was genuinely excited about anything. "Really? How nice? You a bit of a bookworm?"_

" _More of a writer." Emma explained. "Books were hard to come by growing up. It was a bit easier to find a notebook and a pen."_

" _I bet you are wonderful. Have you made many friends?"_

" _A few. There is this girl Ashley that I have West Civ and lunch with. She is really nice. And this guy Tony. He's a bit of an outcast, but-" Emma stopped mid sentence, not knowing how to finish. She originally planned on saying 'just like me', but decided that would just open another can of worms she was not ready for. "And Killian and his friends have been really great. They don't seem to mind being seen with a lowerclassmen." She laughed, trying to divert the conversation away from her and towards Killian, but he wouldn't budge._

The rest of the meal was Mrs. Abernathy asking Emma anything she could think of, trying to learn as much about her as possible. Emma did not mind, strangely enough, that the woman was trying so hard to get to know her. She assumed that she had done the same with Killian when he first started out with her.

Emma had left a note in Killian's room, letting him know she wanted to talk to him. This was the first time she had initiated conversation, at least a serious one. Normally it was him trying to get her to talk, to 'reveal herself' as he put it. But Emma understood him and knew that something was wrong. Part of the whole opening up thing included being there for him. He had seen as much pain and hardship as her and maybe just needed someone like him to help him work through it.

They had known each other for a month, but it felt like much longer. In that time though, she did not know much about him-or at least the normal things. She had no clue what his favorite color was, his favorite food, or anything of that sort. Instead she knew bits and pieces of his tragic backstory and his painful present. Then again, the same went for how much he knew about her.

They were strange. She did not even know if she could define whatever they had as a friendship. Sure, they cared about each other, as much as they could, but would they really care if it were not for their circumstances? Was it only the fact that they were in the same house that they assumed the status of friends? He surely would not remember her after he aged out and she assumed the same would go for her. Or maybe when he thought of her the only thing that would come to mind would be the label foster kid.

"Well, Swan, why did you summon me?" Killian was standing beside the swing, still dressed in the dark jeans and dark v neck tee shirt he had been wearing that day.

"Summon is a strange word choice." She teased. "It sounds all Star Wars like."

"You a fan of Star Wars?" He raised an eyebrow at her, still standing.

Emma shook her head. "Never saw them. Haven't seen a lot of movies, but we know why that is. It just sounded like something that would be in one of those movies."

"Aye, well-"

"You lied to me earlier." She cut him off. "About where you were going. You lied."

"Are you so obsessed with me that you need to know where I am every second of the day?" He gave a devilish smirk. It was his form of her walls. If he did not want to face something, the smugness rose and the ego protected him from the pain.

"You tell me to trust the world, yet you don't trust me."

"We've known each other for a month. Excuse me if I am not ready to spill my deepest darkest secrets with you." His voice was bitter. She knew he was not angry, not really. Just those walls, when they were up, they were ugly.

"Funny." Emma snickered. "You seemed to be the one telling me that the time we knew each other did not matter. Or is that only a one way street?" She was pushing her boundaries, she knew, but she had to get through to him. Break one of those many walls.

He stood still, not willing to move or to sit with her as they had done many times. Silence was filling the air, but she kept talking, kept pushing at him, trying to understand why he lied to her, to get him to understand why she cared. "I know there is something about your past that you are not telling me. That is okay. I don't have a problem with that. You know that there are tons of things I have not told you because I am not ready. But I am not okay with you lying to me about it." He opened his mouth to respond, but she shook her head, not ready to be done. "We understand each other. Neither of us want to admit it but we both know it's true. You say you can read me like an open book, well the same works with you. I know you've been hurt Killian. But so have I. I understand-to some degree at least."

Instead of responding, Killian moved to sit on the opposite side of the swing. They had been in this situation several times. It had become their favorite place to talk about anything and everything. Several times Mrs. Abernathy had joined them and they had what resembled a family night, if they were actually family. Sometimes conversations were serious, other times, they just talked about anything. One night she introduced him to her favorite drink, hot cocoa with cinnamon. They both agreed that both ingredients were easy to come by in most houses. Killian was not as taken with the drink as she was, but he certainly did enjoy it. It was one of her happier memories with him.

"Therapy." He whispered at last.

"What?" Emma asked, confused.

"I was going to therapy." He stated again, a little louder this time.

"You don't have to talk ab-"

It was his turn to cut her off. "It's been a while. When I am actually in a good home, like this one, the parent actually makes sure I go. Other parents were not concerned about if I made it to my session so I'm not as far along as I should be, but I am getting there. "

"If you don't mind my asking, why are you in therapy?" Many foster kids needed the therapy, but it was not a luxury all have.

"Something happened and they thought I needed to work through it." He looked over at her to see her face and laughed, despite the seriousness of the conversation. "I'll tell you some day, love. Just not today."

Emma nodded. "Thanks for telling me. I know I was being a bit annoying, but-"

"You care. It's okay. It's not that bad talking about it." He told her. "No one really knows."

"Not even your friends at school?" Emma questioned him. She found it strange he would tell her something over his friends.

Killian shrugged. "Never told them. I've only known them for a few months. They don't know much of my past."

"And yet you told me?"

"What can I say? We understand each other?" He smirked a bit as he repeated her words.

"Yeah. I guess we are." She whispered. "So, I have another question."

"Ask away, love."

"What's your favorite color?"

He gave her a strange look for a few seconds before answering. "Green."

Emma pushed at the ground with her feet, trying to get the swing to move a bit. "Really? You always seemed like more of a black person?"

"What makes you think that?" He said, completely serious, which made Emma laugh more. "Perhaps, love, I enjoy color, I just don't enjoy wearing them. So, Swan, what is your favorite color? Pink?" He pointed to her pink tee shirt.

"Close. Red." She corrected him. "I'll wear whatever though, because having ugly clothes is better than having no clothes."

"You mentioned at dinner that you write? You any good?" He changed the subject.

"I said I like to write, not that I am a writer or something like that." She brushed off his remark. "I'm not bad, I guess. Just not the best that is out there."

He shook his head. "I refuse to believe that. You are probably bloody brilliant. You can be a journalist-or an author if fiction is more your route."

"You have a lot of confidence in me for someone who has never read a work I've written." She pointed out.

"You have an inquisitive brain there, love. Something is always going on in that head of yours." He explained. "When your transfer those thoughts to paper, it must be sheer genius."

"If you say so." She resigned.

"I do." He persisted. "And one day, when you get some fancy writing award, I'll say I knew you way back when."

Emma wanted to ask if he actually thought they would remember each other in the future. In twenty years, would their names still hold any significance, or would they merely be more people they met along the way.

"I'll make sure to give you a shout out." That was Emma's way of letting him know that she would try to remember him. She may like to write, but she was not good with words. Oxymoron? Yes. But her entire life was one. Pretty little girl who only knew ugliness.

"Good. Now, may I suggest we head back inside? Maybe we can convince Mrs. Abernathy that it would be a good night for a movie and we can show you one of those classics you missed out on?" He offered, standing slowly.

Emma just nodded, and followed him inside. This place wasn't bad. It was as close to home as she ever had and as close to family as she would ever get. Emma would not waste this. She would just live in the here and now.


	9. Fight Like You'll Never Die

**Sorry for the delay with the new chapter! The holidays were a bit hectic. Also, I had bad writer's block. I do not really love this chapter, and it is a bit short, but it is needed to move the story along. At the end of it, it will have been three months since the Emma arrived at her new foster home.**

 **Hope you all enjoy!**

 _Chapter 9: Fight Like You'll Never Die_

"Emma. May I speak with you a moment." Her English teacher, Mrs. Lyd said as she was walking out of the room after the bell rung. Emma always associated someone needing to talk to her with bad news. It was always she did something wrong or was being sent back to go to another home or something along those lines.

"Yes?" Emma asked after the students had already left the room.

The woman rose from her desk. "I have noticed your work in this class is quite exceptional. Your last paper was very good for someone your age."

"Thank you" Emma muttered.

"I was thinking maybe we put you in the Honors English. It would be a bit more challenging than this class."

"Okay." Emma replied hesitantly. She never had done Honors work. But then again she had never stayed in one place long enough to get the chance.

"I will talk to the principle and we can get you placed within the week." She smiled. Emma nodded and left. She was still very quiet at school, at least with the teachers. She was used to adults using her as a source of income or enjoyment. Trusting the other kids and Killian was one thing, but adults-. That would take a while. Time that Emma probably did not have. She would be in another home before she knew it.

* * *

"Emma, dear, that is wonderful!" Of course the school called Mrs. Abernathy to let her know of Emma's change of class. That must be a normal thing that did for students who actually had parents to call. "Killian, isn't that wonderful?"

"Good job, Swan." He told her, voice sincere, but a smirk still playing at his face. "You've been here for two months and you are already outdoing me."

"It's not my fault you are easy to outdo." She teased.

"Hey, now you two." Mrs. Abernathy jokingly warned. "I love you both equally."

The "l word" had scared her the first few times Mrs. Abernathy had used it. To be honest, it still scared her a bit, but she did not physically recoil or emotionally run like she did at first. She let it go in one ear and out the other, moved on as quickly as it happened and did not let it ruin her day. It was still weird to hear someone say that, with genuine love behind it. Emma did not know how to accept love or how to show it.

It was not that Emma did not want love in her life, she just did not know how to show it or accept it. Her entire life she had been too broken to receive it and now, the time when someone finally wanted her to be a part of a family, she did not know how to or what that meant. Emma was broken and she did not know if healing was ever possible. She secretly prayed it was, but most of her prayers went unanswered.

* * *

The minute Killian walked in the door, Emma was there, ready to talk. "How was therapy?" She whispered as Mrs. Abernathy walked up the stairs.

"Fine. Same old same old." Killian recounted his visits, remembering to many "I don't want to talk about it." conversations. Today, however, had strangely gone in another direction.

" _Now, Killian, I think-"_

" _I don't like talking about it." He always cut the therapist off._

" _It will be good for you to talk about it. Just a little."_

" _It's been years. There is no point talking about it now."_

" _Yes, there is. You need to heal-to work through everything that has happened."_

" _I don't want to talk about it." Killian felt like a broken record._

" _Okay, let's talk about something else-you have a new foster sister. How are you liking that?"_

" _She is nice." Killian answered truthfully. "Her name is Emma and she is fourteen. She has been with us for three months-I think this is the longest she has stayed in one spot."_

 _The therapist seemed to ignore that last comment. "You two getting along?"_

" _Yeah. We are a lot alike."_

" _You two talk a lot then?"_

" _Yeah, I guess." Killian muttered._

" _Have you told her-"_

" _No. It does not concern her. She has not told me all of her past and I do not need to tell her all of mine."_

" _I was just thinking-if you two get along and are so similar, maybe she would understand better than me. Maybe talking to her would be a start."_

" _Why would I want to do that?" Killian asked cynically._

" _What did Liam always tell you? A man unwilling to fight for what he wants-"_

" _Deserves what he gets." Killian finished._

" _You want to get better don't you? You have to fight for it."_

"That's good." Emma clearly did not know how to answer.

"Yeah." Killian stopped for a second before he continued."We talked about you. He wanted to know about you and I told him we got along...that we understood each other."

"Why are you telling me this?" Emma asked, confused.

"I want to trust you. This is how I need to start." _I have to do this. I have to fight_. He thought to himself. _For Liam._

* * *

 **Please review! See you next time!**


	10. Tabula Rasa

**Okay, so this is kinda a long chapter, but it is my absolute favorite (for right now, it will probably change). We finally see some backstory. Hope you all enjoy!**

 **Also, the chapter title, Tabula Rasa, is latin for blank slate. Any one that gets the reference for the chapter title, comment it! It will make me so happy! If you don't know it, feel free to still leave a review! (In case you have not figured out, reviews make me happy)**

 _Chapter Ten: Tabula Rasa_

It was official. Killian was a grump. Emma had never seen him like this. This moody, this irritable, this fake. He was trying to pretend that something was not bothering him, but it was clear that something was wrong. He was quieter than normal, less aware of what was going on, smiling less and hanging around Emma less.

The strange behavior had only been going on for about a week. It came on suddenly, with no warning or signs. Nothing had happened at school, that she knew of, and things at home were fine, at least from her point of view. From what he said, his therapy sessions were fine and swimming was great, even though Will was a bit slow, but he was getting there.

The past four months in the Abernathy home had been wonderful for Emma. That was not something she said often. Her stay with Mrs. Abernathy and Killian was the longest she had been in one spot since she was with the Swans when she was a toddler. Emma found herself enjoying her time in this house. It was somewhere she would not mind staying for the next few years until she turned eighteen. Emma hoped that it would be her last home, that she finally found something close to a family, or as close as someone like her could ever get. She did not even mind if she did not get adopted. As long as she could stay here until she turned eighteen. Maybe then she could have a real shot at a future.

The fact that Mrs. Abernathy had had Killian for ten months gave Emma hope. Sure, Killian was much easier than Emma, but it proved that she was not one of those foster parents that only kept the kid around for a few weeks.

Killian had been a highlight of the past four months, despite his newfound grouchiness. She would never admit any of that too him though. There was no need to add even more to his ego. He was much different than the other foster siblings she had encountered. He was caring, pushed her to trust, to trust him, and tried to make her believe things would get better. The part that scared her the most was that she was starting to believe him. That was very unlike Emma. No one got through to her. No one had been able to convince her that there was a possibility that things could ever get better, that she could one day be happy. But he did it. He proved himself trustworthy to her, showed her that she was not going to let her down. Emma did not know what the next few years looked like for them. He would age out of the system regardless of if either of them stayed with Mrs. Abernathy in close to two years. He would go and make a life for himself and Emma would be stuck in the system for another two years. She did not expect him to wait around for her to age out, to stay and make sure she was fine. She did not want him to do that. Emma wanted him to run away from this life as fast as he could.

* * *

Emma pushed her feet at the ground, making the old swing move back and forth. It had been a long day and all she needed was to sit alone and forget about it all. It was late and the sun was starting to set. Mrs. Abernathy had retired early for the night. Emma chuckled. The woman's definition of early was seven or eight, but she was older and taking care of two teenagers probably took most of her energy.

The quietness was comforting and the nothingness was better than anything else. This little spot, the old porch swing, had become somewhat of a safe haven for her. When things were too much or she just needed to think, she would come out here. She and Killian often spent nights out here, talking, laughing and exchanging stories. For two kids with such harsh upbringings, it was a miracle they laughed at all, but when she was around him she could barely keep the smile off of her face.

The slam of the back door pulled her out of her thoughts. She did not need to look back to see who it was. Of course it was the only person who would know she was here. Of course it would be him. She kept swinging, keeping her eyes set on the sky instead of him.

"You alright, Swan?" His voice broke the silence.

"Fine."

He hummed a response. There was a large elephant in the room, but neither said anything. Emma was frustrated that he had been so reserved for the past few weeks. He had never been like that, especially with her.

"You want something?" She asked curtly.

Killian still stood behind the swing, near the door she assumed. He waited a few moments, then spoke. "Something's bothering you, Swan, I can tell."

"And you care because?' She drew out the last word.

"Swan, I've always cared." He stepped forward, standing next to the swing but never sitting down. "What would make you think otherwise?"

"Seriously?" Emma scoffed, keeping her eyes straight forward. "You've been in your own little world for the past week!"

Killian sighed. "Aye, I'll admit I have not been the best company for the past few days, but that does not mean I care for you any less."

"Do you remember our first conversation when I first got here?"

"Aye." She somberly stated.

"You said that I should learn how to trust because I would be here for a while and it would help me out in the long run. But it seems that the longer I have been here I have been getting better at trusting and you are the one who has been getting worse. And now you are completely blocking me out."

"Swan, it's not that I do not trust you-"

"Then what?" She stood and turned around to face him. "What is it then? Why are you moping around and avoiding me."

"It's nothing." He lied.

"If it's nothing, why won't you tell me?"

"Because it's not important." He pushed.

"That's not how this works Killian. You can't expect me to tell you everything and trust you if you won't do the same."

"Like you have told me everything." Killian got defensive, but still did not fully raise his voice.

"I told you, my parents abandoned me on the-"

"I know that part." He cut her off, frustrated. "But what else?Why don't you seem to want to trust anyone?" Months of her not trusting him, having trouble letting him in finally took their toll on him.

"Like you would want to get close to anyone if people kept getting rid of you?" She all but yelled. "And when the only people that stay are scum!"

"Oh, so I am scum?" He pretended to be insulted.

"That's not what I meant." She said, lowering her tone, speaking calmly. "You can't leave. You have no choice...but you're not scum."

"You seriously think I would leave even if I could?" His genuineness was tinted with the still present frustration and anger.

"Everyone leaves." Emma stated as if it were a proven fact. WIth her life, it might as well be.

"Yes! People leave." He raised his hand, then hushed his tone and stepped closer to her. "But some people stay."

"Because they don't see that there is something wrong with me. Give them time."

"Maybe it is because they do not think there is something wrong with you to begin with."

Emma stood in silence for a moment, then sat again on the porch swing. She rested her head in her hands for a few seconds, then looked up at him. "I was eleven when I went to live with Mr. Giovanni." Emma did not know what she was doing. Why was she telling him this? Why, after everything he was saying and how he was treating her, why would she tell him this? Something she never told people.

Maybe because, deep down, she still remembered that they were alike.

"He had two other foster kids. A fifteen year old, Mikey and a six year old Jeremy." Emma smiled, remembering the innocent little boy that had no clue how bad life could be. "He saw us as a meal ticket." She continued. "He pocketed the money that he received for us. A few weeks in, Mikey found out where he kept the money. He convinced me it would be a good idea to take some-" Emma looked at the ground. "Only twenty or thirty a week. Not enough that he would notice. Just enough that we could go get some cheap food for the three of us and maybe we wouldn't go to bed hungry all the time. I rationalized that it was for Jeremy. I had to do it for him."

"Is that why you did it?" Killian asked her in between her words.

"Partly. I think I was just so numb at that point. I knew the money was not for him. It's not stealing if it is yours to begin with." Emma remembered the amount of times Mikey said that same thing to an eleven year old her, convincing her that they had to keep taking more money every month. "Eventually, Mickey thought I should repay him for everything he had done for me. He told me I owed him."

Killian looked her square in the face, coming closer to her. "Emma, please tell me you didn't."

Emma shook her head. "I was twelve when he suggested it for the first time. I knew more about that type of thing then I should of, but you know, foster system. Long story short though, I refused. He tried-" Her words got caught in her throat, where she was also suppressing any emotion that could seep through. "He tried to make me, forcibly. I kicked and screamed until Jeremy came in. He told me he wouldn't do it with a six year old in the room. It would kill the mood."

After taking a large breath, she continued. "The next day Mikey told Mr. Giovanni that I had been taking the money. Naturally, he sent me back." Killian started to respond, probably telling her how sorry she was, how that guy was a jerk, but she spoke over him. "There is more. I went to a group home for a awhile before my next home was with the Moore's. It took me a week to see that something was wrong there. Abusive father. The mother was never home. It took three weeks before I was able to get out. I guess it took three weeks for someone to notice all the bruises."

Killian moved to sit on the swing, but on the opposite side, not too close to her. Neither one of them looked at the other, instead staring straight forward. "I went to a girls group home after that. Girls are nasty though. I went to a few more homes, but they all sent me back because I was to much work. Then I ended up here."

Killian did not say anything, did not move, did not look at her. It was not completely dark yet, but some stars were out, decorating the sky. There was an orange pink hue to the sky, which somehow calmed her. It was not too cold, but she had also felt worse, so her perception was skewed.

"I'm sorry." He finally whispered."Truly. You did not deserve any of that."

"No one does." She spoke much louder than him. "Yet it happens. But there is a reason I have trouble trusting you. It's all that crap. And don't tell me that it is in the past and to just get over it becau-"

"Wounds made when we are young tend to linger." He looked at her. "Trust me I know."

"What happened, Killian?"

He raised his eyebrow, not in his normally cocky way, but in a nervous and unsure way. "Should I tell you?" He said, but I seemed like it was meant for only him.

"No one else understands what it is like."

"No one else I probably going to understand me as well as you do." He smiled at her, despite the seriousness of the conversation.

Emma smiled, urging him with her eyes to begin. He took a breath, and took a leap of faith, and started telling his story.


	11. Percentage

**Sorry for the delay with the update. Things are crazy. This chapter is a bit shorter, but filled with important things.**

 **To reference of last chapter's title (Tabula Rasa) was in fact a lost reference. It is Latin for Blank slates. A philosopher, John Locke (who John Lock from lost is named for) had a theory that we are all born blank slates. The phrase is a episode title for a backstory about Kate. I thought it was quite fitting. Plus, I am obsessed with both shows.**

 **WARNING: Mentions of abuse, PTSD, ect. I tried to not go into too much detail. The section about PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder, is correct. Foster kids do have the highest percent chance of getting it.**

 **Enjoy! Please review!**

 _Chapter 11: Percentage_

"My mother was sick for as long as I could remember. She got cancer a year after I was born. That was probably what ruined my parents relationship." Killian breathed out. "I don't know though. Maybe things had always been bad and that just set my father off. She died when I was six."

Killian did not leave Emma enough time to say the standard "I am sorry" that they were both so used to hearing before he kept going. "My father poured himself into his work. He was a businessman for some huge company over in Ireland. He moved us to the states a month after things happened. He told us that the business was expanding." Killian chuckled grimly. "Being only six and seven and a half, Liam and I believed him."

"He walked out on us a few months later. Just left in the middle of the night. No note, no nothing. It took a while for word to get out about what happened. We were placed into the system immediately."

Emma did not envy the fact he once had parents. He probably did not envy the fact she did not know whether her father was a dead beat and did not have to live through losing his mother. The pain they both felt was real and alive.

"Foster care wasn't bad at first. We understood we were kinda old for the whole adoption thing. But at the beginning I was in pretty good homes. The Hathaways were the best, but the next few homes after that were pretty great. We were pretty blessed. There was the occasional bad home or two, but no horrors."

The idea of real families for a foster home instead of people who used her or did not care sounded like a strange concept. She knew they existed, but they were up in the categories of Santa Claus and the Easter bunny. Still, she sat silent and did not comment on his string of luck on which she had missed out.

"Jerry Hitcher." Killian stated as if the name were a fact. "We went into his home when I was 12. When we started getting older, it was hard to find people who would take both of us, so this was amazing. We both thought this would be great, we would be together. Little did we know that Jerry was insane."

Emma bit her lip at the mention of the crazy father, knowing what was coming next. They were all a percentage of what happened in foster care. Some of them were the unfortunate small percentages. Emma did not want to know what percent Liam or Killian fit into.

"He would come home drunk, screaming and raving about no one knows. Normally Liam and I would hide out and stay away from him. There was never any real food in the fridge, just beer and maybe some old bread or stale leftovers."

Killian's voice started to choke. "It was January, maybe early February when it all started." Emma closed her eyes as she heard him struggle to remember the dates. She too knew what it was like for the memories to fade together to the point where it was close to impossible what happened when. "We'd been there for a while. He...when he'd get angry and drunk, sometimes he'd…"Killian sighed, finally letting a few tears that he had been so strongly holding back flow freely. "Sometimes he would just need something to let his anger out on. He blamed us for whatever was going on. He'd yell at the both of us. Scream like a lunatic until he was read in the face. If he was drunk enough, he-he would beat-" His voice caught on the words. "First few times it was just some bruises. Nothing we couldn't hide." Emma held her breath, waiting for him to say it.

"Fifth time he bashed his head into the wall." Killian breathed out, a mixture of air and emotion, tears evident in his eyes. Killian bent over himself, stopping the motion of the old porch swing, sobbing into his hands. Emma did not say anything, just put her hand on his back, soothing him until he regained composure.

He sat up slowly and she retreated her hand, placing it awkwardly in her lap. "The social workers figured the abuse would have been traumatic so they thought I should get therapy. They were convinced I was going to get Post traumatic stress."

They were all at risk for getting PTSD. Emma knew she, as well as other foster children, had the highest rates of the disorder. Higher rates that veterans. The abuse of the system, the abuse he had seen, the abuse they had lived through, was enough to derail their lives.

"Did you?" Emma whispered, speaking for the first time since he started telling her about his life.

"Of course. Didn't surprise any of them. I've been in therapy ever since, even with the changes of homes. I only started to really get better once I came here. I felt love again."

"Killian, I'm so-"

"Thank you for listening." He cut her off, showing the hints of a smile. "I have never made it through my whole story, not even with the therapist. Thank you."

"We are not the label, Killian." She reminded him of what he had told her time and time again.

"No one has ever understood me." He thought aloud. "Until you came along. Today was his birthday. That was why I was just so...you know. But you saw it was more than just a bad day. You understand. I think we make a pretty good team, Swan."

Emma smiled, slow to respond with words. "I think so too."

"I think Liam would have liked you. He would have bloody made fun of me about us, would've said I liked you."

Blushing, Emma teased. "Well, do you?"

Now it was Killian's turn to blush. "Emma, you're my sister."

"Not really. And in a few years I won't be." Emma had no clue where this boldness was coming.

Killian sat back, kicking his one leg over the other. "Maybe one day we'll be something."

"You're avoiding the question."

"I know. I care about you, love. Let's just leave it at that for right now. We have our entire lives ahead of us."

For the first time, neither was completely terrified at the idea of the future. The empty promise of them seeing each other again was enough.

"Okay."


	12. Just Another Number

**We are really getting into the knitty gritty of this story. Hope you like this chapter! You might hate me a bit at the end, but I could be persuaded to update a bit quicker with some reviews (hint hint.) Thank you for reading!Enjoy!**

 _Chapter 12: Just Another Number_

"Love, if you stare at that paper any harder, you are going to burn a hole through it."

Emma was positive that the glare she was giving him would burn a hole right through his head. "I'm working."

"More like staring. Working would involve actually writing something down." He smirked, sitting across from her at the kitchen table..

"I'm thinking. It would be a lot easier if you were not bugging me." Her voice dripped with sarcasm. He pretended to be hurt and she rolled her eyes. "This paper needs to be perfect, okay?"

"Swan, it's not due for another three weeks."

"Two and a half." She corrected him. "I just...I want it to be good. It's my first paper in the honors class."

"It will be brilliant, love." He assured her. "Don't worry yourself about it."

"I don't even have a topic yet." Emma sighed, dramatically placing her head in her hands.

"What are the perimeters?" Killian asked her.

"Definition paper. And I know it's not a hard topic but-"

"Relax, Swan." He cut her off. "You want to rise to the occasion. 'Tis only natural."

"If only you could write my paper. You speak all fancy." Emma huffed again, leaning back in her chair.

"Aye, my speech may be eloquent, but my writing skills are lacking."

"You are just being humble. Everything you touch turns to gold." She teased. Her long blonde hair was hanging over the side of the chair as she leaned farther back.

"If you say so, love. I, alas, must go do my own work." He stood. "Best of luck with your paper, love. I hope you find a word that is very-Swan." He flashed her a smile before leaving the room.

 _A word that was very Swan._ There were many words that summarized her, but none that she liked. Orphan. Foster child. Broken. Hurting. The list went on. None of those were topics she particularly wanted to hash out.

The past five months with Mrs. Abernathy and Killian had been wonderful, but they did not change what she was. She would always be an orphan-that could not change. Maybe one day she would stop hurting, but that day was not today. The two of them took away a lot of the pain, but did not erase it all.

Memories of the past few months flooded in and she smiled. This was by far her favorite home. It was the closest thing to a family she would ever get. Mrs. Abernathy was a doll and Killian was her best friend. Dare she say it, she actually liked it her. She might go as far to say she loved it.

Emma thought about how far she had come. Her hurt had healed a bit, she was a little less broken, and she was on the road to loving and being loved. She sat up, her head buzzing with new ideas. Then, inspiration struck.

* * *

"Emma, I'd like to talk to you about your paper." Mrs. Villa called out to her as she was leaving. She must have been a slow walker, because it was not the second time this had happened with a teacher. First, when Mrs. Lyd wanted to change her classroom and now.

A knot formed in Emma's stomach. Mrs. Villa was an older woman who dressed like she was young and rich. She considered herself a fancy woman, but acted like an outright snob. Her black and white fur attire earned her the nickname De Vil among the students.

"Yes?" Emma asked, hesitating.

"Your paper was exquisite,Emma." She whimsically said. Mrs. Villa always tried to use big words to sound as fancy as possible. If it were not for the fact that she was an English teacher, Emma would think that she was just guessing at what the vocabulary meant.

"Thank you." Emma said, a bit bolder than before.

"I was wondering if you would like to read it in front of the class. Show them what a real paper looks like. Maybe then I can actually get some decent papers." The woman muttered.

Emma had never been asked to read something that she had written aloud. Most of her teachers had barely known she had existed. She was not in their class long enough for them to notice. But now, she had been in this school for close to six months. Teachers knew her, she had several friends. It was almost like she had a normal life.

"Sure." Emma said before her brain could convince her otherwise.

"Splendid. Next Tuesday sound good?"

"Yeah. Sounds great." Emma left the room, turning the corner, and before she could collect her thoughts, slamming into another body. She looked up to see Killian with that dopey smirk he always had.

"Good job with the paper, Swan." He said as she brushed herself off.

"Were you eavesdropping?" Emma readjusted her bag.

"I came to get you so we could walk to lunch together and I overheard part of the conversation."

"Since when do you walk me to lunch?" Emma questioned.

"Since you were not at your locker. I had to make sure De Vil didn't kill you or something."

"Well,I am fine. Hungry, but fine." She smiled.

"Well, why don't we fix the hunger, shall we?"

Emma rolled her eyes. She did not know why she encouraged this. Because he was her best friend, that was why.

* * *

"A wise man once said, 'Once you label me, you negate me.' A label is a word or phrase used to describe someone's identity." Emma slowly stated. Public speaking was not her thing, but here she was, standing in front of her entire class, reading her paper. There truly was a first time for everything.

"Society tells people what label they must conform to and expects them to fit into that mold. Some are born with their label, such as an orphan, and others assume their status, such as an athlete. Culture uses these labels to control how individuals act, feel and live. People are told they can never escape their label. Society boils them down to a single word."

"Labels are an inaccurate way of describing an individual. People are too complex to ever be simplified to just one word. They are ever changing and developing, becoming new things and outgrowing labels that were once true of them. Labels nullify people of what they are truly capable. These words tell a person they are incapable of changing and becoming better. This, however, is false. No one fits into the tiny box society tells them is normal."

"Someone believed to be smart can also love sports. A girl can be strong and sensitive all at the same time." Emma's breath caught before her next sentence. "Even the most broken of people can become whole. No one word holds defines someone. It only holds them back from their true potential. The labels are lies fed to people, telling them they will never amount to more than that label. The label gives no opportunity for betterment and no chance at becoming well-rounded. These stereotypes break any chance at a real future that someone might have."

Emma started her next word, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. "One second, Emma." Mrs. Villa whispered. "Come in!" She yelled to the person on the other side of the wall.

The door opened, revealing the principal, an apologetic look on his face. "I'm sorry, but could I borrow Emma Swan?"

Mrs. Villa shot Emma a look, knowing she was almost done with giving her speech, but she could not just tell the principal no. "Sure. Emma, you can finish your paper tomorrow." Emma just nodded, frozen in the moment.

"Miss Swan, if you will grab your things and come with me." The principal instructed. She did as he said and followed out the room, shutting the door behind her. In the hallway, besides the principal, was Killian.

Emma waited a few seconds until the man was in front of them before leaning over and whispering. "What is going on?"

"I don't know." Killian responded softly into her ear. "But it does not look good."


	13. Awaken

**See the end of the chapter for author's notes. I do not want to risk the chance of spoiling anything! Thanks for reading.**

 _Chapter 13: Awaken_

Emma's mind was in a haze, taking in more information than she could comprehend. The walk to the principal's office lasted what seemed like years, her pace getting slower and the distance getting longer with every step.

She pushed every negative thought out of her mind. Everything was alright, she rationalized. She was just over reacting. This was normal, right? Emma had never been in a school long enough to get to know the principal, but this was normal, wasn't it? Sometimes he just needed to chat with some of the students.

Killian stood silent beside her, walking at her pace. If only she could be more like him-so strong in the face of uncertainty. He never let the world see him sweat. Of course, he let Emma in, let her see him struggle, but that was it. To the rest of the world, he had his life together and he knew what he was doing.

The principal led them into his office, where Emma's stomach dropped when she saw he had two guests: Candice and Melody, Killian's social worker. Both women were dressed professionally, pencil skirts and blazers. Candice let her short blonde hair flow freely while Melody, whom Emma had only met a time or two, put her thick black hair into a bun. Their very presence let Emma know the seriousness of the situation.

"Sit down, please." The principal motioned to them as he sat behind his desk. Emma and Killian did as he said. Candice and Melody still stood off to the side, watching the two of them.

"I got a call from Child protective services this morning. It has been requested that you two-well" He struggled to explain. "I am not at the liberty to go into details, but Miss Housley and Mrs. Waters will be taking you. I'm not exactly familiar with the protocol of all of this, but they will take it from here."

There was a long pause, everyone waiting for someone else to move. Emma could hear the ticking of the clock, its every beat against the second. Eventually Melody Waters, in her singsong voice, said. "Let's get going you two."

The frustration of being pulled from room to room without any knowledge of what was going on grew on Emma. She just wanted answers. Her social workers never came and got her out of school. They always waited for her at home to tell her the inevitable bad news. But it was not supposed to end like that this time. This home was supposed to be different. Mrs. Abernathy would never send her back, would she?

The fear, the feelings of worthlessness and brokenness rose up in her, grabbing at her every thought. Her hearing was fuzzy, only processing every few words of whatever conversations were going on. Her stomach tied in an even tighter not knot. The monotonous walk down the hallway, the one she had done many times before, seemed foreign. With just one look over to Killian, she knew he was feeling the same thing.

The light blinded her when they all stepped outside. She moved closer to Killian, walking with him behind Melody.

"Emma."Candice's voice brought her out of her daze. "My car is over here."

Emma looked up, realizing what she meant. "I want to go with Killian."

"Emma, you know how this works. You have differ-"

"No." Emma grunted. "I'm going with him." She did not dare look at his face. He would tell her to comply. Or worse, he would fight along side of her and they would both get in trouble.

Candice reached towards her and Emma let out a short, high pitched scream, sounding vaguely like the word no, a scream she had been holding in.

"Emma. Now. You will see him soon, I promise." Emma knew better than to believe promises from her, but before she could fight back, she felt Killian's hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay, Swan. Everything will be alright. We will see each other soon, okay?" He whispered, trying to convince himself as much as her. She just nodded.

"Good." He smiled. "That's my girl."

"Be careful, pirate."

"You too, Swan."

* * *

Emma opted for the passenger's seat instead of her normal back seat spot in Candice's car. They rode in silence for the first few minutes, Emma not asking any questions and Candice not addressing her outburst.

"Are you planning on telling me what is going on?" Emma said over the radio.

"I should wait-" Candice stuttered a bit.

"You know, Killian probably got whatever happened out of Melody by now." Emma ignored her, talking as if she were in her own little world. "He's got manners and all, but that goes out the door in times like this."

"So, that means you get to find out too?" Candice smirked, somewhat in a teasing tone.

"Look." Emma said. "You've seen me through a few homes. And I like this one. You know that is rare for me. So if something is happening that is threatening my stay at this home, I have a right to know."

Candice sighed reluctantly, then said. "You're lucky we are almost there."

"Almost where?" Emma questioned.

"You sure you want to know now?" She looked over quickly to see Emma's face. "Because I'm not pulling over if you freak out."

"I'm sure."

Candice shook her head "You two shouldn't even be informed of this until later, but she requested to see you both."

"She?"

"Abernathy." Candice kept her eyes on the road.

"Why did she-?"

"Em, I'm sorry." For the first time in a while, Candice's voice sounded guinine. "She had a heart attack this morning. Around ten. We were notified immediately and asked to take you two into our services."

"You're bringing us to the hospital, aren't you?" Emma did not react to anything. She kept her mind focused on the facts, nothing more, nothing less.

Candice nodded. "She wants to see you two."

Emma bit her lip, trying to control her emotions. "Is she gonna be okay?"

"I don't know, Em. She's an older woman."

With that, the duo sat in silence, waiting for the hospital to come into sight.

* * *

Emma could count the times she had been in a hospital on one hand. Two, maybe three times. Four if she counted her birth, but since she most likely was not born in a hospital, otherwise she would not have been abandoned on the side of the road, she stuck with three.

She broke her wrist when she was five. Whether she fell out of a tree or was beaten would be debated between the doctors, Child Protective services and her foster parents. Ultimately it would not matter. Any kid who broke their arm would be too much work to take care of. She got sent back.

When she was ten, her foster parents fed her walnuts, only to find out she was allergic.

And of course, there was the Moores.

But this was different. She cared this time. The other times, she was so broken she didn't care what happened to her. Yes, she had been scared those times, but fear does not equate to caring. But this time all she wanted was for everything to be okay and go back to the way it was a few days ago.

For the first time in six months she realized she had found a home. Of course she only saw that when it was slipping from her grasp. Emma wanted nothing more than to stay with Mrs. Abernathy and Killian, even if that meant she would never get adopted. That did not matter any more. All she cared about was her home. It did not have to be perfect. It was hers and she loved it anyways.

Killian walked into the waiting room with Melody at his side. His face was pale, as if he had seen a ghost, and his hair was a mess. He obviously knew. The two walked over to where Emma and Candice were sitting and Candice and Melody excused themselves to go and talk to one of the nurses.

"She tell you?" Killian whispered when they were smiled a bit, despite everything going on. Even when he was hurting, he still always made sure she was okay.

"Yeah."

"Are you alright?"

Emma sighed. "As much as I can be. You?"

"Same, love."

They sat in a bitter silence for a moment, letting the setting sink in, before Emma spoke up. "I'm sorry."

He turned to look at her, confused. "For what, love?"

"You've been with her for a year. Your seventeen. This should have been your last home."

"Emma, don't-"

She cut him off. "You do realize that no matter what happens they are not letting us stay. Even is she is okay, while she recovers, we will have to go somewhere else. Odds are when that happens we get lost in the system."

Neither of them spoke about their unavoidable separation.

"If that's the case, shouldn't I be saying I am sorry to you. You have another three years in the system, Emma. I wanted you to stay with her."

"So did I."

Only Emma Swan could find out she had a home and lose it all within a day.

* * *

 **You all are gonna hate me. But I have to say, I had this plot twist planned from the very beginning. But I do have a plan! Keep reading to see how it all plays out.**

 **Please Review!**


	14. Stay Here

**So this chapter is really short, but super important. It is going to change point of view several times throughout the chapter. It will go between Emma and Killian, as they are out main characters. I really hope you are all enjoying this story. I am loving writing it!**

 _Chapter 14: Stay Here_

The hot chocolate packets found in in hospital vending machines did not do justice to the hot chocolate Mrs. Abernathy made at home. And since it lacked whipped cream and cinnamon, the drink was a bust. But Emma needed to keep her head straight and the sugar rush from the sweet liquid might help with that.

They had been there for hours and there had been very little news. All they knew was that Mrs. Abernathy was stable, but in critical condition. That update had been a little over an hour ago though. There was an eerie sound that filled the room. It was not silence per se, because there was noise everywhere. Perhaps it was grief personified.

Candice and Melody gave neither Emma nor Killian any answers. No information about what would happen to them for the next few weeks for even the next day. They were in a complete limbo, no clue where to go next. But then again, wasn't that just the story of their lives?

For the first time in six months, Emma was once again faced with the question of where she would wake up tomorrow. She had no clue what the future held. She finally had obtained happiness, found somewhere that resembled a home, and now something threatened that happy home. Emma could only pray that somehow fate would allow her to stay put, just this once.

* * *

Killian Jones' entire life had been one large roller coaster that he was dying to get off of. The system had been cruel to him, only allowing moments of happiness in the bleak storm he called childhood.

He secretly always feared something like this would happen. He knew he was assuming the worst, but something in him told him that this was not going to end well. Killian was just starting to get better, to heal, when the rug was pulled out from under him yet again.

Separation was his biggest fear at the moment. Separation from his home, separation from Mrs. Abernathy, separation from Emma. He had finally gotten close to her, had knocked down her walls. That could not all be for vain. There was a connection with her, something special. They understood each other, they related in a way he would never relate with another person. He could not lose that. He could not lose her.

He was seventeen and she was fifteen. They were both too young and too broken. Their futures, no matter what they looked like, would be difficult and painful. But he hoped that she might have a place in his life beyond the system.

Killian did not know how he felt about Emma. She was special, but he could not let his emotions of possibly losing her cloud his judgement. He wanted her to be safe from the pain, he wanted to protect her. In just a few short months, he had grown closer to her then he could possibly ever have thought. Now his biggest fear was letting her go.

* * *

Not only did Emma have a built in lie detector, but she was also able to read faces well. She could tell what someone was thinking with just a single glance to their face.

She knew the minute the doctor walked through the door.

* * *

The sound of footsteps pulled Killian from his trance. He looked up to see a doctor slowly approaching them, emotionless and stern look on his face.

The man did not even need to open his mouth for Killian to know what was going to come out.

* * *

"I'm sorry."

Emma had heard those words too many times in her life. Social workers apologizing that the previous home did not work out. Kids at school saying it when they heard what she really was. New foster parents when they heard the horrors she had faced.

The funny thing about all the apologies was that they were all fake.

* * *

"There was nothing we could do. It happened quickly."

The doctor's words rung in Killian's ears. He remembered hearing those same exact words when Liam died. He knew the last part was meant to be comforting, meaning that they went peacefully and did not suffer, but death was not an enjoyable time. No matter how quick it happened, it hurt.

* * *

Everything happened in slow motion. Emma did not remember what the doctor said after "It happened quickly." It did not matter what he said. Mrs. Abernathy was gone. Her home was gone. Her life, her happiness, everything was gone.

It finally sunk in that she would move, yet again. She was finally happy and she lost it. The universe or something beyond her control would not allow her to be happy. It was not in the cards for someone like her.

What seemed like hours later, she felt a light tug on her arm. Her face was wet, but she did not know when that had happened. Everything was a blur-she could not hear anything, could not process anything. She saw Killian being led in the opposite direction, away from her, with Melody, but she could not get her body to react. She could not move if she was not being moved.

The walk to the car looked foreign. She could not get her brain to do anything. It was stuck in one mode-pain. Nothing made sense. Nothing felt real. She went through the motion, got into the car, without ever realizing that she was taking another step.

It was not until she sat in the car, face stained with tears and hands shaking, did she finally realize what had happened. It was only then she understood that it was just the beginning of the end.

* * *

 **And now you all hate me. I told you it would happen. Feel free to let you anger out in the comments, though nice reviews are welcome too :)**


	15. Go, Going, Gone

**I was blown away by the reception from last chapter! Thank you all so much for reading and sticking with this story. This chapter is dedicated to all you faithful followers and readers who bring me so much joy!**

 **Hope you like it.**

 _Chapter 15: Go, Going, Gone_

For a girl who moved around so much, one would think that Emma would at least have a good suitcase. But, alas, that was not the case with her or many foster children. She had an old blue backpack and a garbage bag.

Emma did not remember the last time she really had to pack up because she did not remember the last time she unpacked. She normally lived out of her bags, waiting for the family to send her off. She did not want to waste her time settling into a home that she knew she would not stay in.

But this home had been different. She liked it here. Emma was not scared every moment, terrified of poking the beast and paying the consequences. She smiled more, laughed more, hoped more. Mrs. Abernathy gave her hope that maybe, just maybe, she could have a shot at a real future. That people would see her for more than her label of foster kid. She made Emma believe that she could be loved and show love.

Emma never got to say goodbye. The older woman passed to quickly for Emma and Killian to go in and get to see her like she requested. Emma never got to thank her for everything. To thank her for taking her in when she needed it the most. For making her feel special. For making her feel loved. For making her feel safe. For giving her a home.

Stuffing her stuff in her bag, Emma picked up the thick wool scarf that Mrs. Abernathy knitted for her all those months ago. It had been a gift on her first day of school, shortly after she had arrived. Her walls had been sky high at that point, but that did not stop Mrs. Abernathy from trying to break them down. Eventually the older woman started to succeed.

A knock at the door startled Emma, causing her to shove the scarf into her backpack. "Yeah?" She muttered, trying to hide the emotion in her voice.

Killian came in, red eyes and messy hair. It was obvious he was taking any of this well either.

"You still packing?" He played it safe, looking around the room as he talked.

"I'm just about done." Emma told him. "You?"

"Just finished." He stood awkwardly for a moment before saying. "I have something for you."

Emma moved over on her seat on her bed, non verbally telling him to join her. He did so, coming to sit next to her. He opened his hand to reveal a thin silver chain with a silver circle at the bottom. The circle was open, making somewhat of an o shape on it. The metal was lightly tapped, giving it a worn out look.

"This was in her room. I thought maybe you would want something to remember her by." He explained, tripping over his words slightly.

She smiled at him slightly. "I can't take-"

"She would want you to, Emma." The use of her real name always meant a serious, more genuine conversation. That fact was not lost on her.

Emma just nodded, not trusting her words at the moment. Killian placed it in her hand, but instead she grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Thank you. For everything."

He smiled at her. "No goodbyes yet Swan."

"We'll have to do it sooner or later." She reminds him.

He nods. "Aye. But let's not focus on that until we have to.I have something for you."

"You already gave me something." She tells him. She is not used to gifts.

"This one if from me." He stands up and walks over to her desk, where he must have set a notebook while she was not looking. "Here." He hands it to her. "Meet me at our spot in ten minutes?"

Emma gave him a slight smile along with a chuckle. "Yeah."

With that, he walked to give her some time to finish packing. She put the remainder of her clothes in her bags before finally opening the little black bound book that he gave her.

The first page simply said. "To Emma." in a fancy manuscript. The pages lacked any lines and were somewhat of a beige color. She flipped a few more pages before finding drawings. Wonderful drawings of them, of hot chocolate and of old porch swings. A half drawn picture of a swan and a few drawings of pirates that made her laugh. All black and white, most likely done in just a simple pencil, but all beautiful just the same.

The entire notebook was not filled up. The last page used was not a picture, but a letter.

 _Dear Swan,_

 _The past few days have been hard on us. I never wanted things to end this way, but it seems that, once again, life did not work in our favor. I will miss you. I can only hope that we have the pleasure of being in a home together once again._

 _Even if I cannot see you while we are in the system, I want to see you again. You are special to me, love. You understand me and you are an open book to me. I cannot lose that._

 _But even if we never see each other again, which I hope will not be the case, I will never forget you. You are so incredibly strong and will be able to take whatever this life throws at you. You are so deserving of a wonderful future and I wish on you only happiness. Hopefully, though, I will be there beside you to get to see and experience your happiness._

 _Love, your pirate, Killian Jones_

Emma did not care how much time had passed. He grabbed her stuff, said goodbye to her only room, and ran to meet Killian.

...

Emma did not have to wait long at the swing for Killian to join her. Before he could even say anything, she enveloped him in a huge, whispering "Thank you." in his ear.

He pulled back from her a bit, so he could see her face. "You're welcome, love."

"I guess this is goodbye." She muttered, refusing to look him in the eye.

"We will see each other again. I know it."He gave her a hopeful smile.

She chuckled despite herself. "You sound sure."

He raised his eyebrow, making that face she knew too well. "Aye. I have faith in us. We are too special to be separated for long."

"Thank you for everything." He started to interrupt her, but she held up a hand. "You already got to say it all, so now it's my turn. I'm not good with words though, so bare with me. Thank you. I never trusted well… I never really believed I was worth much or able to be loved, but you made me see that I was wrong. You made it better."

He gave her the goofiest grin she had seen in awhile. "Thank you, love. I see that you read my note?" He hummed.

"Yes. It put anything I could say to shame so I am not even going to try." She laughed.

"The point was to remind you of your time here." His words seemed more serious then he was letting on.

"I could never forget." Emma said truthfully.

"Well, maybe," He whispered. "It's a reminder that you have a pirate here who loves you."

"I don't think I could forget that either. But thank you." She does not ask about the word love. The moment is not right for anything besides a goodbye.

Candice yelling for Emma could be heard throughout the house. It was time for her to get going to wherever she was going next.

Killian grabbed her hand before she could leave. "I'll think you every day."

"Good." She whispered.

"Goodbye, Emma."

"Bye, Killian."

* * *

 **I promise I have a plan. This is not the end! Review and let me know what you thought!**


	16. Wilder

**I would like to take a moment and address some reviews because I have been blown away with the support from the last few chapters.**

 **TLWriter4721-Thank you so much! I recognize your name from earlier in the story and love your sweet words. I agree at some moments it felt like Emma was trusting quickly, but I did that to show her battling with the innocence that in still in is not completely broken at this point. It will be used as a comparison later in the story as she loses that innocence with the hardships she faces. And I have gotten many questions about the whole Neal-Henry story line and I am in the process of weaving it into the story and main plot. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Polkie2-Can I just say that you are such an amazing follower that I get excited when I get notifications from you! You always say the kindest things! Thank you so much for the support you have given this story and the interactions you leave after the chapters! They are so appreciated.**

 **Whataliar-I am sorry you are sad, but as a writer I love when I am able to get some emotions from people. But happy emotions are pretty great too, so I'll make sure to get some fluff in for you!**

 **I will try to leave some personal comments towards reviewers in most of the chapters! Make sure you review! I love interacting with you guys.**

 **Authors notes will be at the end of the chapter to avoid spoilers.**

 _Chapter 16: Wilder_

Emma Swan stopped saying hello a long time ago. It was nothing but a one way ticket to pain. Hello always meant goodbye. They were just one step closer to heartbreak, to abuse, to pain. Nothing good ever came out of hello.

At twenty-four, Emma had moved around to much. Consistency was the one thing she could never get in her life. Growing up in the foster system, she was constantly shifted from one bad experience to the next, with only glimmers of happiness. But most of the time, the darkness took over, resulting in her tainted memories telling her it was all bad.

The cold Maine air was a readjustment. Having spent almost her entire childhood around Boston, minus the her brief stay in Minnesota and other various spots, she was accustomed to the cold. The last the years she had spend in Tallahassee, ironically, and had quickly adapted to the warmth. But someone with no roots could not stay in one spot for too long. That was how she found herself in the small, cold town of Storybrooke, Maine.

She accepted a job at the sheriff's office, hoping it would provide a bit of stability for her and a safer job than being a bail bonds person. That job had been taken on a whim, stemming from the need for cash and her superpower of being the human lie detector. She needed a change though, a real one. A good one.

Maybe this little town was that. Or maybe it would just be another stop to wherever she was trying to get to.

She found herself in a little diner, names Grannies. It was a stereotypical diner, from the design to the food. Emma did not mind though. There was something quaint and peaceful about it. The was a noisy buzz in the room, but not an annoying noise level. It was just people, getting their daily cup of coffee or catching up with a friend over lunch. It was normal small town actions.

Emma sat down at the counter, eyeing the menu. Prices were reasonable and the food did not smell revolting as she had found was the case with other diners she had stumbled upon during her travels. Being a foster child, she had learned to not be too picky about food, since she never knew when her next meal might be, but some items she had found leaned towards cardboard than food.

"You gonna keep staring at that board or are you going to order something?" A sarcastic tone cut into her thoughts. She looked up to see an older women, glasses on her face and apron on her body, behind the counter.

"Just a hot chocolate." Emma answered.

"You look like you could use a coffee more." The women joked, most likely referencing the bags under Emma's eye due to long hours in the car.

"Or whiskey." Emma muttered. The older women disappeared into the back and a new body emerged, this time a young woman, around Emma's age, all legs with dark long hair and bright red lips.

"You must be the new sheriff." She stated, leaning over the counter. Emma raised an eyebrow, confused on how she would know that. The brunette kept rambling. "Small town. Everyone knows everyone. I'm Ruby by the way."

"Emma Swan." Emma told her hesitantly. The older women returned, placing Emma's drink in front of her. "You want whipped cream?"

"Sure." The women did so, returning the drink to Emma. "How much?"

The older woman waved her hand. Saying "On the house." before disappearing to the back again.

"You want anything else?" Ruby asked her. Emma was about the shake her head and answer no, just to end the conversation, but she changed her mind.

"Do you have any cinnamon?"

Instead of responding verbally, Ruby moved to a rack of spices and picked one up without even having to think. Emma took it from her and sprinkled it over the whipped cream before handing it back.

Ruby smiled. "You know, I only know one other person who likes cinnamon with their hot chocolate. You two will probably get along great because of your weird food choices." Like before, Ruby kept talking before Emma could even get a word in. "He'll be in soon, I think. He normally comes in during his lunch break."

Emma just hummed. "So, Ruby," She decided if she was going to enjoy her stay here, she might as well be friendly. Especially with the people who could supply her with food. "How long you worked here?"

Ruby let out a little chuckle. "Since I was little. I started getting payed when I was fifteen, but I'm convinced Granny put me to work when I was five. She raised my, but also had her diner to run, so I spent a lot of time here."

"Let me guess you spent a fair share of time in the Bed and Breakfast too?"

"Let's just say I am a pro at making beds." Ruby grabbed a rag and started washing down the counter to make it seem like she was at least doing something besides talking to the new customer. "So, how'd you hear about Storybrooke, Emma?"

"August Booth?" Emma asked more than stated, not sure if she got the name correct. When Ruby nodded she continued. "He was working in Tallahassee while I was in the process of leaving. He told me about Storybrooke and I thought I would give it a chance."

"Were you a sheriff down there?"

"Bail-bonds woman." Emma said, nonchalantly, taking a sip of her drink.

That perked Ruby's ears. "Ooh! How exciting! You must have so many interesting stories."

Emma shrugged. "They all end the same. I got the perp and get payed. I think the pay check at the end is pretty interesting, but I'm partial."

Ruby frowned. She was clearly a passionate one with all emotions. "You must have some better stories than that. You'll have to tell me over girl's night."

Emma almost choked on her drink. How, in five minutes, had she possibly gotten herself invited to girl's night? "Excuse me?"

"We have girl's night every week. We got out to the Rabbit Hole most of the time. My friend, Mary- Margaret, is a bit of a stick in the mud, but when she gets into it she gets into it. And Ashley comes when she can, but she's got her daughter, Alex, at home. Aurora is too innocent to get into any trouble, so I need a new partner. You sound like you could have some real fun."

Emma had a bad feeling that she would be meeting a lot of people, all at Ruby's insistence.

"Sounds like fun." Emma told her less than enthusiastically.

Ruby kept wiping, or whatever she called her fake work, down the counter, humming along. Her head perked up with the sound of the bell connected to the front door, as she did every time a new customer walked into the dinner.

"Here is Mr. Cinnamon right now." Ruby told her, in an excited hushed tone. "Killian!" She yelled.

An alarm in Emma went off the second she heard the name, but she pushed those thoughts aside. She turned around to see a tall man, dressed in all black, a leather jacket and disheveled dark hair and bright blue eyes. Some scruff decorated his face.

He walked over to the counter, keeping his hands in his pockets.

"Killian this is-"

"Emma" He cut her off with a breathy statement.

"Yeah" Ruby remained oblivious. "She is the new sheriff."

"Swan." He said quieter, stepping closer.

Then it hit her. _Killian._ Memories that she had suppressed for so long flooded in. Hot chocolate. Bus rides and walks home. Late night talks on the old porch swing. Saturday breakfast with Mrs. Abernathy. She remembered it all.

The fear set in. The past nine years had not been kind of her. If she had been a mess then, she was destroyed now. He would leave her. Her life would not allow the two of them to ever stay in the other's life.

So, Emma did the only thing she was ever good at.

She ran.

* * *

 **Okay, so we just began out time jump. I have had this planned from the very begining and I am very excited to see where this leads. A lot has happened in the past nine years. Stay tuned to see what!**


	17. Long Time Coming

**So sorry for not updating last week. I was on Spring break and honestly had writer's block. After this chapter, the chapters are going to start getting a little longer to move the story along.**

 **Now, some responses to some reviews!**

 **Charlie 479-Thanks for reviewing! The time gap is something I am super excited to dive into, but it will take some time. Emma is still Emma! Hope you enjoy this chapter :)**

 **fanfic333- Sorry for making you wait, but here you go! Can't wait for you to see what happens over the next few chapters.**

 **NecieLauren-I love that you get excited reading this! That makes me so excited! Keep those fingers crossed. Good things are definitely coming (it just might take some time).**

 **Andria- Thanks for always reviewing! I'm happy you liked the time jump. Enjoy!**

 _Chapter 17: Long Time Coming_

This was not the first time she ran from Killian. She had done it, more emotionally than physically, when they were younger. He was used to it, Emma knew that. Emma also knew, if Killian was the same as he had been nine years ago, he would follow.

The thick accent yelling "Swan" showed he was the same.

She was on the sidewalk in front of the diner when she felt his hand curl around her wrist, stopping her motion. She pulled it from his grasp, realizing that he let her go, not wanting to control her and giving her the choice of whether she stayed. She rationalized that he was in good shape and would catch her again.

"What are you doing here?" Emma asked while trying to catch her breath and calm herself down.

"I should be asking you the same thing considering you are in my town."

"Your town?" Emma breathed out? "You live here?"

He nodded. "Aye." It was good to see his vocabulary had not changed. "Came here when I was twenty-one. I found a good job out on the docks."

"You've been here for five years?" Emma stood up straighter, finally relaxing.

"Strange for someone who always moved around, huh?" He completely read her mind. He had a thing for doing that. "You'll find that this town grows on back to my original question. What brings you here, love?"

She felt the same chill she had the first time he called her love. She shook the thoughts out of her head, reminding herself that was all nine years ago. They were two completely different people. "Work. I'm the new sheriff."

He raised an eyebrow. "You went into law enforcement?"

"Yeah. That shock you?"

He shrugged. " I always thought you would write. You know become famous and tour the world and give me an acknowledgement." Emma thought back to when they were younger and he told her that she must have been a "bloody brilliant" writer and that one day when she made it, he would say he knew her way back when they were kids.

"That just wasn't in the cards for me." Emma said nonchalantly.

"Would you care to sit, love?" Killian moved closer. "We could catch up."

Emma hesitated for a moment. "I do-"

"You don't have to tell me everything that happened over the past nine years love. Just come and sit with me like old times."

Emma nodded and followed him to one of the tables the dinner had set up outside for people to eat at when the weather was nice. They pulled out her chair, still ever the gentleman, and then sat opposite of her.

"Nine years." He said, almost to himself. "We finally run into each other again after nine years. Fate sure is funny."

"I don't believe in fate." Emma said, a bit too cynical for the tone of the conversation.

"I see that nothing's changed."

"A lot has changed." She pointed out quickly.

"I know, Swan." He reassured her. "I see you still like red."

Emma shot him a confused look, before looking down to examine her own red leather jacket she was sporting. "Okay, so maybe some things have stayed the same."

"Some good things."

Emma hummed and he took the silence as an opportunity to add. "You look wonderful."

Emma picked up on the topic change, but did not say anything. "Thank you." She said, gaining boldness. "So, where did they ship you off to after you left?" _After she died_ lay on the tip of her tongue, but Emma suppressed it.

"Three other foster homes and a group home at the end until I aged out."

Emma remembered that Killian was seventeen when he left Mrs. Abernathy's house. With little less than a year until he was out of the system, most would think it would not be hard to find a place to stay, but that sadly was not the case. Most people were hesitant to take in the older kids out of fear of the unknown.

"Where did you end up, love?" He asked her, leaning forward on his elbow.

"Oh, you know." Emma leaned back to keep a distance between them. "Just hopped around from house to house like when I was younger."

He hummed, as if he was not buying it. Emma's superpower had only been heightened over the past nine years, given everything she had been through.

"Where did you go when you turned eighteen?"

Emma's head went into a whirlwind. The year that should have been her freedom was the one where she was locked away and held back the most. But he could not know that.

"This was a mistake." Emma said hurriedly, standing.

"Emma, if it's something I said-"

"Look" She cut him off. "It was nice seeing you again, but it's been ten years. We are not the same kids we were when we were in the system." We are worse, she thought.

"Swan!" He was now standing. "I get that the last ten years were most likely not pleasant. But you have trusted me before. Why should now be any different?"

"I can't take a chance that I am wrong about you." She whispered. Everyone Emma had ever gotten close to left her. He had even left her before, even if he had not wanted to. Her heart could not bear the pain of it all again.

"Love." He took a step towards her slowly, making sure not to frighten her. "I'm not going to hurt you. I have to be honest and say this freaks me out two. I put that part of my life behind me and it hurts to dig it back up. But you're important to me, Swan." His voice dropped. "I kept my promise."

"What promise?"

"I thought of you everyday. I wanted to forget the vast majority of my childhood, but my memories with you are something I never wanted to let go off."

Emma had thought of him more than she cared to admit, but his revelation shocked her. People did not remember her. People left her.

"All I am asking for is a chance, Swan."

Emma nodded. "I am not promising you anything, but I can try."

His face lit up like a young child on Christmas. Oh, how she had missed that goofy grin. "I should be getting back to work, but what do you say we grab dinner tonight at the diner and I can show you around town."

"Uh-"

"It's not a date, Swan." She was both relieved and let down. The latter emotion she did not know why she felt though. He was just a friend, just Killian. Emma Swan did not do relationships.

"Okay. It would probably be good for me to know my way around this town if I am going to be sheriff." She joked, trying to get away from any type of serious conversation.

"Good. Then it's settled. Tonight, at say, six?"He raised his eyebrow in the same way he had always done when they were teenagers.

"Six sounds great."

"Alright then." He seemed a bit nervous. She waited for him to reach up and scratch his neck like he always did when he was nervous, but he regained his footing, somewhat. "I will see you tonight, Swan."

"Tonight." She repeated softly, more to herself than to him.

Killian walked back into the dinner, most likely to grab something to go so he could actually eat know that Emma had taken up the majority of his lunch break. She stood still where he had left her, unable to completely process everything that had just happened. After nine years, he came back into her life. Emma never expected to see Killian again. She was never supposed to see him again.

But that was her life.


	18. Days Break, Nights Change

**Season 5b is going to be the death of me. I already know it.**

 **But in other news, this chapter is Emma starting to get settled in Storybrooke. She is going to have to start facing some of her past demons pretty soon, so stay tuned. And now for some review responses:**

 **fox24: I am glad too. It is so hard for Emma, but as we saw in season 1, she was willing to give people a chance. It is when they get to close that she had a problem. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **fanfic333- So happy you enjoyed. Let's see if you like this one too!**

 **andria-Thanks! Their catching up will be a bit spuratic, as they have not done too much yet. But don't worry, some major conversations lie ahead. Enjoy!**

 _Chapter 18:Days Break, Nights Change_

Emma's first day on the job had been, well, uneventful. David, her deputy showed her around the office-explaining their way of doing the paperwork, parole and the like. He showed her her office, which was more of a glass room with no privacy, but Emma had worked in worse. David explained that the old Sheriff, Graham, for some reason liked it that way. No one knew why though.

David Nolan was a nice man, tall and large with blonde hair. He had a charming personality to him, making him a clean cut figure through and through. He was twenty-five and had apparently lived in Storybrooke most of his life, only leaving to attend college in Portland. He married his high school sweetheart, a petite woman named Mary-Margaret. The woman had jet black hair in a short cropped haircut with a delightful smile and happy presence. Mary-Margaret worked at the local elementary school, teaching third grade. From the pictures Emma had seen of her on David's phone, she seemed to fit the part.

One of the benefits of her new job was normal hours. She was no longer working through the night-or at least not consistently. She could have holidays off and had someone with whom she could share the work. Emma was not good with working with other people, but she would just have to adjust.

Not ready to plant any roots in this small town, Emma had decided to rent an apartment for a while before making a long term decision about whether or not to stay. The little loft was cozy, with a little kitchen nook and even a second floor. Emma was not used to all the room, having little possessions as her past did not leave any room for being sentimental. The price was great though, so she could not argue.

The past week in this town had been somewhat peaceful. Emma had the opportunity to meet quite a few of the townsfolk. Ashley and her daughter, Alex, were always walking around town while Emma would take her late morning jog. Belle worked at the library and her husband Robert, who was known throughout town as "Gold" for his love of money worked at the pawn shop. The mayor, Regina, scared Emma a bit, but apparently that was normal.

Emma and Killian had only had a few interactions since her arrival in town. He, knowing her better than she knew herself sometimes, gave her some space to figure out how she wanted to go about things. It was strange seeing someone that she had not seen in almost ten years. They had been best friends as kids, or as close as either of them could come to that, but a lot had happened since then. Emma was not the same person she was at fourteen. She had seen her fair share of pain, heartbreak and suffering. Her past left her broken and she could not risk Killian hurting her too.

Settling down on her couch, one of the few pieces of furniture in her loft so far, Emma remembered the conversation she and Killian had when he was showing her around town.

" _These are the docks." Killian stated as they walked by the water._

 _Emma chuckled. "Pretty sure I could have figured that one out."_

 _Killian raised an eyebrow, pretending to be hurt. "Well, I thought you might like to know in case you ever wanted to visit me at work."_

 _Emma smiled, but did not respond to his joke. She knew that was all it was- a joke, but she could not bring her mouth and mind to work together to say something that would actually resemble a response._

" _It was a joke, Swan. A foolish one of my part, but I was trying to lighten the mood." He said as they continued walking._

 _Emma shoved her hands in her pockets and bobbed her head. "Right, I know. I'm just-I'm not really good at this."_

" _At what?" Questioning, he turned his head to face her._

" _This." She was proving her point. "Small talk and all that. I'm not really used to the whole 'friend' thing."_

 _Killian hummed, keeping his eyes on the road on which they were walking. "I don't expect anything from you, Swan. Whatever we become, it is up to you as much as me."_

" _And what do you want to become?"_

" _My feelings have not changed in the past year nine years." He stopped walking and turned his entire body towards her._

" _That does not really answer my question." She ran a hand through her hair, a small smile playing at the corner of her lips._

" _I know." He had that smug smile that she knew so well. "I don't want to push you away with whatever answer I give. We have a fresh start now."_

" _Fresh being a relative term, right?" She teased._

" _Right, Swan." He laughed. "Let's just take everything a day at a time, okay? Work on being friends again and see what happens after that."_

" _Okay."_

Emma could remember the hope in his voice when he told her they would work on being friends. He believed she could do it more than she did. After mulling through that conversation in her head, Emma had realized that when he said his feelings had not changed, he was referring to one of the last things he had said to her, when he said he loved her.

Love was a powerful word Emma did not do well with in any sense. Surely, at seventeen, Killian did not mean he was in love with her, but that he cared for her deeply and wanted her to be happy. But what about now? Did he just care about her and want to be friends or did he secretly hope things would develop into a romantic relationship.

Emma did not do romance. Everyone would always leave her and hurt her. Killian would be no different. There was something inside of her that drove people to leave. That made it so that they could not stay. She had some type of default in her that drove away anyone that got to close. Emma learned that lesson young and knew the only way to avoid heartbreak was to never let anyone anywhere near your heart.

Seclusion was a sad price to pay for her to get what was left of her heart broken.

* * *

"Swan, are you avoiding me?"

Emma mentally cursed herself for coming to Granny's for lunch so late today, when everyone else in town would be here, but paperwork had been through the roof this morning. Apparently some short man named Leroy could not stay out of trouble long enough for Emma to finish the paperwork from his last arrest.

Emma swiveled in her seat at the counter, setting down her grilled cheese she had quickly become fond of. Killian stood next to her, not taking advantage of the seat open right there.

"I'm not avoiding you."She turned back to her food. She could hear him hum in unbelief and knew he was probably raising his eyebrow like he always did. "I'm just dealing with stuff. There's a lot going on right now."

He let out a sigh. "There will always be a lot going on. Perhaps you should live your life during it all, otherwise you might miss it.

"Killian-" She was not whining. Emma Swan did not whine.

"Swan." He gently sat down on the seat next to her. "I don't want to push you, but I can see it in your eyes. You are running. Not just from me, but from everyone. Don't do this to yourself, love."

She wanted to give some type of smart remark, to say something that would make him give up and leave, but he was trying and doing the best he could.

"Okay."

It was not a promise to stop running, but it was all she could muster.

* * *

Thankfully, girls' night was starting out slow. Instead of Ruby's suggestion (demand) of the Rabbit Hole, they settled for some cheap wine and music at Mary Margaret's apartment. David was on patrol that night, giving them enough time to enjoy themselves.

Emma was not sure how she felt about the whole "girls' night' thing. She had never really had friends-not as an adult or as a child-so this was all new to her. The women were nice enough, but she did not know that many of them that well. She had only been in town for about two weeks.

Mary-Margaret was by far one of the sweetest women she had ever met. She obviously was born to be a teacher, with a nurturing attitude and more patience than Emma thought was possible in any human being.

Ruby, on the other hand, was the polar opposite of everyone else in the group. Emma still did not understand how her personality meshed with the others. She had a fiery spirit, a wild side for adventure, but still, a good heart beneath all that.

Belle confused Emma. She did not really understand Belle's relationship with Gold, but apparently no one did. No matter how much that relationship boggled her mind, they seemed to be good for each other, especially her for him. She was a sweet, soft spoken woman, until spurred, when she could be your worst nightmare. She was tough-her greatest weapon her knowledge.

Emma had not spent much time with Ashley and Aurora, but they seemed to fit in in well to the group. Both new mothers, they appreciated any excuse to get out of the house and leave the babies with the men, with what they considered a minimal amount of phone calls to check on their children.

The women sat around a table in the kitchen. Mary Margaret was pouring more wine in Ruby's glass-because of course Ruby would be the first to finish.

"Philip did the cutest thing this morning." Aurora squealed, probably drinking her wine to fast for someone who had not had it in close to a year.

"Aurora." Ruby complained. "We've been hearing about Philip for years. Give it a rest."

"I meant my son." Aurora corrected her, trying to sound angry.

"Alex just started holding her head up." Ashley stated proudly. "Sean got the whole thing on tape."

"Ladies." Ruby all but shouted. "This is girls' night. We are not talking about babies."

Belle leaned over to Emma and whispered. "Ruby is just angry she can't play her favorite game of trying to get the most phone numbers from strangers at the end of the night."

"I try to keep my options open. I'm not hitching' my wagon to anyone yet. I'm at my prime." Emma, assumed, and hoped, that this was the alcohol talking.

Mary-Margaret rolled her eyes. "So, Emma how are you enjoying Storybrooke?"

"What she means is?" Ruby cut in. "You find any cute guys yet."

"That is not what I meant." Mary Margaret scoffed. "That's what you would have meant by it."

The women turned their attention back to Emma. "It's great here. I like my job at the sheriff station and everyone is really nice."

"So, now my question?" Ruby ignored whatever Emma had just said.

Emma groaned. "No, Ruby. I've only been here for two weeks."

"What about Killian?" Ruby said, as if she had been prepared for this conversation and knew exactly what to ask.

"He mentioned you two knew each other?" Belle hesitated.

Emma did not know how much Killian had told them about her, but trusted him enough to let her divulge into her own story. "Yeah, we went to a year of high school together." It was not a lie, really. They did go to school together for six months.

The women seemed to be content with that answer, so Emma kept talking before they could question her more. "He's really just been showing me around town and things like that. No big deal."

"I think he likes you." Ruby stated matter of factly, causing Emma to almost choke on her wine. Ruby, with a smug look on her face, continued. "He's never looked at a woman the way he looks at you."

"So, what, he looks at me different?" Emma's walls started shooting up.

"Ruby, leave her alone." Mary Margaret insisted.

Ruby shrugged and proceeded telling everyone else about the cute new doctor at the hospital, effectively taking the spotlight off Emma, for which she was glad. But for some reason, Emma could not get Ruby's comments out of her head.

* * *

"I have a favor to ask and you are probably going to hate me for it." David walked into work Monday morning, not even bothering with a hello.

Emma turned in her chair. "That is always a great way to start out."She chuckled. "What?"

David took a sip of his coffee. "Every year, the elementary school Mary-Margaret works at has this career day where people from the community come in and talk to the kids about what they do. The station always goes."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "That's it? You were worried about asking me to take a day off and go hang out with some kids?"

"Well, when you put it like that."

"What do you think I am? Some heartless monster?"

"I wouldn't say heartless-"

"Ha ha, very funny." Emma turned back to her desk to continue the paperwork she had been doing. "Tell your wife we will do it."

"Emma, you are the best." He smiled, pulling out his phone.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But I better get a bear claw out of this."

* * *

 **Please review! We are a little over thirty away from 100 reviews! Let's see how fast we can make it! I will reveal the plot for my next multi chapter fic when this one reached 100 reviews!**


	19. Something is Better than Nothing

**Author's Notes are at the end to avoid spoilers. Now, some review responses**

 **paupaupi- I am glad you are enjoying it. I will defiantly jump more into what happened over the past nine years, but knowing Emma and Killian it will not all come out at once. It will mainly be through dialogue. But this chapter starts us off with a bit of Emma's past.**

 **Andria- With these two, a friendship and anything else will be a fight, but it will be fun to see how they get there and deal with their past demons. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Hope you all enjoy! Don't forget to check out the important notes at the bottom.**

 _Chapter 19: Something is Better than Nothing_

Emma had better get way more than a bear claw out of this. A day off to recuperate should do just nicely.

When David told her about career day at Storybrooke Elementary school, Emma thought it would be a piece of cake. Go in, tell the kids a few stories about what they normally did or some cool day, have them lose interest a few minutes after and then go back to the station for a normal day of work.

Boy, was she wrong.

The entire second half of the school day was dedicated to this career day. Tons of adults filled the auditorium, standing by tables with display boards about what they did and some even with items to give the kids. To Emma, it all looked like a middle school science fair.

David had arrived early, most likely due to Mary Margaret, and set them up on the far end by Dr. Hopper, the town therapist. He was a quiet man, in his early forties with curly hair and a bit of a nervous stutter.

Kids came in, excitement bursting, probably more from the fact that they got out of classes rather than what was actually going on that day. Only a few kids came to see Emma and David, as most of them went what was considered the cool booths, such as the one from the ice cream parlor, since she was giving out free samples, or Granny's booth, as she, once again, was giving out free samples. Emma knew the true way to a kids heart-food.

Students, ranging in age from what seemed like first to fourth, came by, asking strange questions that Emma was not always sure how to answer. "No I have never shot someone." And "No, we do not use tasers on a daily basis." Came out of her mouth more than she thought was possible with such young kids. Must be all those violent video games, she rationalized.

A lull in children coming to their side of the room occurred. David sneaked away for a few moments, probably to find his wife. A young boy, a mop of dark brown hair on his head and chocolate brown eyes, a sweet smile playing on his face, ran up to Doctor Hopper. "Hey, did you bring Pongo?" He asked excitedly.

Archie Hopper laughed. "No. Pongo would get to excited with everyone here. Plus he doesn't have much to do with my profession."

The boy did not seem disappointed for too long, turning to Emma with a big smile and proudly stating. "I'm Henry Mills."

She leaned down a bit, a grin forming. "Hi, Henry. I'm Sheriff Emma Swan."

"You're the new sheriff? That's cool! Have you gotten to go on any adventures yet?" His face lit up.

"No. No adventures yet." Emma shook her head.

"You're new in town, aren't you?"

Emma looked over to Archie for a second, who offered her a weak smile. She turned back to Henry. "Yeah. Just got here a few weeks ago."

"I thought so." Henry rambled. "I know everyone in town."

"Oh, do you now?" Emma stood up from her position of leaning down to see Henry.

"Henry's mother is the mayor." Archie cut in.

"Wow. Quite an honor." Emma looked at Henry for some type of agreement, to which he just shrugged his shoulders. "What?" Emma asked him. "You don't think it's cool that your mom is the mayor?"

"She's not my mom." Henry muttered.

"Henry-" Archie began to warn. Henry looked up at him with a frustrated look, but gave it up.

"Achie, could you give us a minute?" Emma had a feeling Henry would say something if the two of them were alone.

"Sure. I could use a drink either way." He left his booth.

"Henry, what do you mean she's not your mom?" Emma squatted down so she could be eye level with Henry.

Henry kicked his feet at the floor for a few seconds, swaying. "I'm adopted. She's not my real mom."

"Hey." Emma's voice softened. "Just because she's not your biological mother, doesn't mean she doesn't love you."

"She doesn't love me." Henry fought back, his little voice caught with emotion. "She loved her job. She is barely even home."

"Henry, I'm sorry. But she must love you. Adoption is such a big step. She took you in and gave you a home-"

"Some home." Henry muttered under his breath.

Memories of inadequate homes arose in Emma's head, all those people in her life that did not care if she ate, or slept of got to school. They cared about the check the got from her. The check that was supposed to go to feeding her and would normally go to something else.

Emma saw a lot of herself in this little boy. He was strong, that was for sure. But Henry had more hope, more happiness than Emma had had at his age. He was not as broken as she was and she refused to let him turn out the way she did.

"I was a foster kid. I know what it's like to have a crappy home."Emma whispered to him.

Henry's face perked up a bit. "You do."

Emma nodded. "It's not fun. But you're a good kid, Henry. I can tell. Don't let her take that from you." Don't turn out like I did, Emma thought.

"Can we talk sometime, Emma?" Henry asked her timidly. "You know, when it all gets to be too much at home?"

"Of course, Henry. Anytime. I will always be right here."

Henry hugged her, something she was not expecting. It took her a few seconds to reciprocate, her awkwardly placing her arms around him as he continued to squeeze onto her.

"I should probably go. My friend Ava is at her dad's booth, but she really wants to go check out the guy from the docks."

Emma knew who the guy from the docks was, but she did not say anything. "Okay Henry. I'll see you around?"

"Yup! Thanks Emma." The boy ran off.

Emma Swan had never really been a huge kids person, but then again she had never been presented with the opportunity. But this kid, this sweet kid with his entire future ahead of him, something about him moved something in Emma. The hope in his eyes, the jump in his step-he could not lose that. Emma would make sure of that.

* * *

Around 2:30, everyone started cleaning up, most of the children heading home by that point. David, thankfully, stopped distracting his wife for twenty whole minutes to help Emma.

Emma recognized a few of the other people bustling around, trying to get out of the school and back to their job. Of course, she knew Granny. Emma had slowly become obsessed with her food. Belle was there to talk about the library and Doctor Whale, the one Ruby would not stop talking about, had showed up to talk to the kids about being a doctor.

Killian, who Emma had heard was there early to discuss his job at the docks, was now walking over to where Emma was. She continued to put some stuff away so it did not look like she was just standing there.

"Hello there, Swan. I wasn't aware you were coming to career day." He started out.

Emma nodded, before putting some more papers in a folder. "Yeah. David wanted to do it."

Killian hummed. "Aye. Sheriff Humbert always wanted to make it to these kinds of things."

She gave a little "huh" in response, not really knowing what to say.

"I can walk you back to the station of you like." He sounded a bit nervous. Emma could always tell. "It's on my way to the docks."

Emma turned around, placing what was in her hands down and then crossing her arms, laying them at her chest. "No, it isn't"

He reddened. "Ah, so I see you did pay attention when I was showing you around town."

"Yeah, well knowing the town is kinda important when you are sheriff." Emma pointed out.

"I suppose it is." He struggled to regain. "The offer still stands though."

"David and I drove together. I think the two of us and Mary Margaret were going to drive to the station together."

"You sure you want to go that whole drive with the lovebirds?"Killian teased. In all seriousness though, Emma would feel like a third wheel. And she desperately wanted to talk to someone about her interaction with Henry. Mary Margaret was a great listener, but sometimes she just did not get it.

"You know what? Walking sounds great. It's nice out, anyways."

Killian smiled. "Wonderful. Let me at least help you take these things out to Dave's care ." He reached out to take some of her hands, his left hand brushing her arm. For the first time, she realized that his left hand was not his, but instead a plastic prosthetic.

Killian's arm recoiled, quicker than normal, making her think he had seen her confusion and mistaken it for something else. Emma did not say anything, pretending she did not notice. He would bring it up when he wanted to. Emma would be stupid to believe he had not acquired some of his own demons over the past nine years.

"I'll take this out to Dave, then we can get going, alright?"

Emma smiled. "Thanks Killian.

* * *

The weather was warm for October, or at least she thought. Warm was a relative word here in Maine, especially when she had spent the majority of the past nine years somewhere warm to escape the frigid North. Then, as fate would have it, she returned to the awful weather conditions she hated so much as a kid.

Conversation on her walk with Killian started slow, asking how the other had been, laughing at the questions the kids had asked them and the like. The past few weeks the two of them had been getting closer, becoming the friends they were when they were kid. Obviously, Emma still had her walls up. But maybe, if her and Killian stayed friends, like they were when they had been in the system together, everything would be okay and she would not get to hurt.

"I met the mayor's kid today." Emma stated when the conversation had lulled.

"Henry's a good kid. A real sweet boy."

"He reminds me a lot of me." Emma was shocked at the words coming out of her mouth, but accepted the fact that they were already out and that Killian could read her more than he liked.

"Aye." Killian's voice sounded solemn. "His home life doesn't appear to be the best."

Emma raised an eyebrow at him. "Does everyone know this?"

Killian shook his head. "No. But growing up in bad homes, you tend to be able to spot one a mile away."

"At least he's got some stability." Emma commented, trying to find some light in the situation.

"Aye, but bad stability is no better an option than what we had."

"I ran away." The words came out Emma's mouth before she could stop them.

Killian stopped walking, turning to see her. "What?"

There was no point in lying now. "I ran away."

"Swan, you've already told me about Lily-"

Emma shook her head, shoving her hands deep into her back pockets to try and seem relaxed, even though everything in her was telling her to run now. "No, I mean after we met. When I was sixteen, I ran away."

"You ran away from your foster home?"

"I ran away from the system. I couldn't take it anymore." She removed a hand from her pocket to run it through her hair, something that had become a nervous tick for her. " I was street smart. I figured I would do better on my own than in some other foster home."

"But, Emma, you were sixteen." Killian tried to rationalize, tried to make sense of why she did what she did.

"I would have been in the same situation when I was eighteen. I just gave myself a head start."

Killian nodded, not arguing with her. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I don't know." Emma shrugged. "I guess-I just don't want Henry to turn out how I did."

Taking a small step closer, he looked straight at her. "I think you turned out pretty well for everything you have had to face."

"I don't want him to lose hope like I did. To lose his trust of people." Emma whispered.

"Well, he's got something you didn't have. Someone looking over him who knows what it's like."

"I can't help him, Killian." She insisted. "I can barely take care of myself."

"You know you can let someone help you,right" His voice was light.

"Easier said than done."

"Maybe you don't need to help him. Just be there for him."

"You think that's enough?" Emma questioned.

"I think it's where you start. Break down the walls, get him to trust you. Prove that you are not leaving."

It was when Killian slowly started walking again that she realized he was not just talking about Henry.

* * *

 **Authors Notes**

 **1\. Everyone keeps commenting about learning more about their past, and do not worry, I will write that. It would be unnatural to give it all at once though. It will be mainly through dialogue that you learn what happened to them. But trust me, I will tell you everything that these two have faced in the coming chapters.**

 **2\. Henry. From the beginning I was unsure how to approach this topic. I wanted him to be a part of this story, but the hard part was how. With what we know of Emma's past, if Henry had been her son, there was little possibility that she could/would keep him, given her state at that time. I want to make sure there is a connection between Henry and Emma and he is going to be a big part of her learning how to trust.**

 **3\. Thank you for all the amazing reviews! I leave responses to a few reviews at the beginning of every chapter so make sure to read those. Also, when we reach 100 reviews, I will reveal the title and plot of my next multi chapter fic...so comment away!**

 **Thank you all!**


	20. Sweet Escape

**Sorry for updating a bit later in the day. Things have been crazy. Anyway, here are some responses to reviews!**

 **Andria-For this stories purposes, Henry is not Emma's son. He is Regina's adopted son with whom Emma forms a bond.**

 **Polkie2- I miss the young Henry too! When did he get so old? Some more development is in this chapter and defiantly the next few! Hope you enjoy!**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

 _Chapter 20: Sweet Escape_

Killian Jones was a patient man. Nothing had ever come easy for him in life, but working his way through the days and waiting for good things to come along had carried him this far. It might not be the greatest way to move through life, but he was still moving.

Emma's arrival in town in town just three weeks ago had rocked his simple world. If he was honest with himself, he did not think he would see her again, despite how much he hoped to. She would emerge from the system the same way he did-alone and confused, with no one to back them up besides themselves. Emma would have to figure her way out in the world and odds were her path would never cross Killian's.

But they did. Seeing Emma again, after all those years of separation and pain, of growing and change, was like coming home after a long time away. It reminded him of the good times, the brief glimpse of hope while he was a teenager. His time with her and Mrs. Abernathy was the small relief from the nightmare he called a life.

Seeing Emma again also terrified him, more than he ever let her know. Emma's walls were higher than ever, but so were his. There were things in his past he was ashamed of, things that ruined him, changed and formed him, that would eventually have to come out if he wanted Emma to have a spot in his future.

And he did want her in his future, no matter what it looked like. He would be lying if he said he did not consider her romantically a time or two. He had liked her since they were kids, but now was not the time. Killian was not going to push her. If she was ever ready for something like that, it would be on her timetable.

Emma had gotten better with opening up over the past three weeks, but many bridges were still to be crossed. He had, however, been successful in getting some things out of her, knocking some walls down.

When she ran away she completely gave up hope of ever finding her parents. If they wanted her, they would have reached out to her.

Her red leather jacket was one of the first things she bought with her first paychecks from her job as a bail-bonds person.

She still had her baby blanket. The one they found her in when she was abandoned on the side of hte road. The same one she brought to Mrs. Abernathy's house.

She still had the scarf Mrs. Abernathy gave her on her first day of school.

She was not sentimental,a habit formed from her childhood, but when she kept something, it had deep value.

Killian knew he had a long way to go with Emma. They both had too many demons in their past to count. But she was more than worth it.

* * *

"Okay, you can open your eyes!"

Henry dropped Emma's hand as she opened her eyes, seeing a small play castle by the water. She looked down to Henry, who was grinning ear to ear. "It's my castle. I've never brought anyone here."

"No one?" Emma raised her eyebrow, with a smile forming at her lips. The boy proudly shook his head before grabbing Emma's hand once again, leading her to sit on the castle with her. Henry shifted, pulling a large book out of his bag he had with him.

"This is what else I wanted to show you." His little voice was excited. "It's my book of fairy tales. Mrs. Nolan gave it to me."

Henry opened the book, spreading it out over both of their laps. "No one here really likes the stories." He sounded deflated, before perking up. "Except Mrs. Nolan. And Killian."

Emma chuckled to herself. "Killian? Really?"

Henry's face was always lit up, always excited. That was something Emma loved so much about him. He was such a passionate kid. "Yeah. Sometimes over the summer he'll let me help out around the docks and we look at the book. His favorite is Peter Pan." Henry explained. "He likes Hook though. He doesn't understand that he is a villain."

Emma let out a laugh. "Not surprising. He loved pirates when we were kids." The words flowed off Emma's tongue so naturally she did not even realize what she had said until Henry looked up at her, confused. Her and Killian had not mentioned to anyone how they really knew each other from the system. It had just never come up in conversation-maybe because neither one of them wanted to have that conversation. The whole 'we went to highschool together' answer was still working.

"You and Killian knew each other as kids?" Henry questioned her.

Emma sighed, knowing she could not lie to the kid. "Yeah. Same foster home for a bit."

"Killian was a foster kid?" Henry sounded shocked.

"You didn't know that?" Emma suddenly felt guilty for possibly revealing something about Killian that he did not want people knowing. Henry shook his head. "You can't tell anyone that, Henry. Okay. We've kinda been keeping that on the down-low."

"Why?"

Emma racked her brain for an answer. "We've both been through a lot. We just are not ready to dive back into everything that happened when we were kids."

The answer seemed to satisfy Henry for a few moments, as he redirected his attention to his book, turning through the pages, before he looked back up to Emma, saying. "I think he likes you."

Emma coughed and gave Henry a strange look. "Excuse me?"

"I can tell. I'm pretty smart." Henry sounded like it was no big deal.

"He's known he for three weeks, kid." Emma tried to rationalize with him, but arguing with Henry was always a losing battle.

"You just said you knew him as a kid." Henry pointed out.

"Yeah." Emma conceded. "But we were just kids. A lot has happened since than. We are different."

"Well, either way, he really likes you" Henry said, before turning back to looking through his book. "I think you look like Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter." He told her.

Emma just rolled her eyes.

* * *

Coming into the diner for lunch had become a routine for Killian over the years. He did not really remember how it all started, but for as long as he could remember, after coming to this town, he started coming to Granny's for his daily lunch break.

Killian remembered meeting Granny for the first time, though. At first glance, she reminded him of Mrs. Abernathy, a flood of old memories rushing into his head. Memories he had pushed back for so with Granny reminded him more and more of Mrs. Abernathy. It was refreshing rather than draining, a drastic change from what his life normally was.

Before he even ordered, Ruby came to the counter, brown sack lunch bag in her hands, pushing it towards him. He came in so often, they knew what he always ordered for lunch. Living in small towns really did have its perks sometimes.

"So, Killian." Ruby started. He could tell by the tone of her voice that she wanted something.

He sat down, knowing this would take awhile. "What, lass?" He sighed, heavily.

"What are you doing Friday night?"

Killian raised a questioning eyebrow. "Ruby, I don-"

"Not like that." She sounded as if it were obvious. "Whale. He wants to have dinner with some of my friends-you know, less pressure and all that."

He still a confused look on his face. "Not to condescend, lass, but that does not sound like you."

"It's not." Ruby leaned against the counter. "His idea. Wants to be friends first." She rolled her eyes.

Killian chuckled to himself. "I've never known Miss Ruby to be 'friends' with any man."

If looks could only kill, Killian might just be dead. "This guy's different. I really like him and if this is what it takes, I'll do it."

This was not normal Ruby behavior. In the words of Granny, her dream was to "sleep her way down the eastern seaboard." Ruby had not had any serious relationships in the time that Killian knew her, mainly just flings with the different men of the town. If she was willing to do this, this Whale must be important to her.

Killian sighed again. He did not know what he was getting himself into. "Fine. I'll do it."

Ruby instantly got excited. "That was easy. I thought I'd have to use the fact that Emma was going as leverage."

Killian really wished Ruby would learn what an "indoor voice" was. She practically yelled her last statement to the entire diner.

"Why would that make a difference?" Killian's voice was hushed.

"Honey, I've got eyes. And you've got the hots for her."

"I do not have the 'hots' for her." Ruby was always trying to set Killian up, saying he was just too lonely by himself. This must be one of her attempts.

"Sure." Ruby turned around, making her way to attend to another customer. Killian grabbed his lunch in a hurry, leaving to eat his lunch at the docks. The minute he walked out the diner, he mumbled a curse under his breath. What had he gotten himself into?

* * *

Emma was having a bad overslept, Leroy was-well, Leroy, her emotions were running high, and to top it off, she had stupidly agreed to go out with Ruby and Whale tonight.

Scratch that, she was having an awful day.

Since she had only been in Storybrooke for about a month, no one could read her emotions well. David had asked her today if she was okay, but she shrugged it off, telling him that she was just tired and blamed it on unpacking things in her apartment. It was not like it was a complete lie-but thankfully, David bought it.

Emma slipped into dark blue skinny jeans and a olive green top. She left her hair down, her waves flowing over her shoulders and simply retouched her makeup, not bothering for more than a quick layer of mascara. They were all just going out to the Rabbit Hole after all.

Growing up, switching from one home to the next, Emma was not good at making friends, but the people here made it a bit easier. Mary Margaret and Emma instantly clicked, despite their polar opposite personalities. Working with David proved to be quite enjoyable,the duo working well together. Ruby, an extraverted character, made Emma let loose a bit more than she normally would. Emma hoped this night would just be a simple night, a few friends going out for drinks, nothing more.

That hope was squashed the second she walked into the bar.

Ruby was completely consumed by Whale and alcohol. Mary Margaret and David sat next to them, in conversation with Killian. The latter's face filled with relief the second he saw Emma, probably due to being saved from the two near drunk Charmings. He excused himself, holding his hand up to the couple, standing and making his way over to greet Emma.

"How drunk are they?" Emma did not waste any time with hellos or small talk. She shot straight to the point.

"Very. Mary-Margaret especially. Alcohol does not affect Ruby, but she is drooling over Victor."

Emma ran a hand through her hair, leaning over to see her friends sitting at the bar. "That's what I get for being late."

"Well, you look wonderful, Swan." He said. She felt herself blush and rationalized that he thought she was late due to trying to get ready and not because of her day from hell.

"Thanks" She muttered.

They stood there, in an awkward silence, before Killian turned around, checking on Ruby to make sure she was occupied, before looking back at Emma and saying "You want to get out of here?" He rubbed his neck. "Maybe hot chocolate at Granny's?"

"What, you're not a drinker?" She teased.

"Only rum." He stated proudly.

"You sure they won't care?" Emma leaned over again to check on the rest of the group. The word friends almost slipped in her head.

"They are too far gone to realize." He assured her.

"Sure." Emma answered and he went back to where he was sitting to grab his jacket. This was not a date, she told herself. Just two friends going out for drinks at the diner. They were just talking, seeing how the other was, catching up. Just normal people things.

But something in her did not believe that.

That something was just her emotions.

Nothing more.

* * *

"You're kidding me?!" Killian laughed, not caring about how loud he was. The diner was practically empty.

"Nope." Emma was proud. "Chased him for two blocks in high heels "

"And did you catch him?" Killian took a sip of his drink, hot chocolate with cinnamon, as he leaned back in his seat.

"Yup." She stated, popping the 'p'.

"I assume being sheriff is different than your excursion as a bail bonds person."

Emma shrugged. "Being sheriff is a bit let eventful. Hours are better though."

Killian laughed a bit. "You like it here?"

Emma did not answer at first, as if deciding whether she really liked it. "I do." She finally said. "It's nice. Very-I don't know." Emma blushed a bit.

Killian nodded. "I felt the same when I first came. There is just something about this place."

"Feels kinda homey." Emma offered quietly.

"Nice for people who never had homes." He looked down at his drink. Her hummed response came seconds later.

"Do you ever think about her?" He asked. "Mrs. Abernathy?"

His question seemed to shook Emma, but she did not hesitate as he thought she would. "I used to a lot. I still do I guess. It's just hard."

"Aye." He kept his eyes down, scared if he looked at her he would lose it. "I like to remember the happy times."

He heard her laugh and could only assume she was smiling. When he looked up, she was, resulting in him smiling a bit too. "We did have some good times, didn't we?"

"It was my favorite home." He told her truthfully.

"Mine too." Emma turned quiet again. She rested her head in her hand, pushing her cup away from her. "Did you-" Emma sat up, taking a deep breath, as if she was unsure of her words and thought they would fail her. "Did you go to the funeral?"

Killian shook his head. "No. I was in some other home by that point."

"Same." Emma looked down. He knew this must be hard for her to talk about-it was hard for him too. He reached over with his good hand, making sure to keep his other hand hidden like he had for most of the night, gently grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze. He wanted to let her know that he was there. That he still understood her. He always had.

* * *

"Thank you, Killian." She said as they arrived at her loft. He had walked her home, despite all of her persistence.

" _Killian, it's only around the corner."_

" _Have to make sure the princess arrives home in one piece." He said. It reminded her of a conversation they had when they were kids-the scenario was too familiar._

"My pleasure, love." He smiled at her.

They stood there, her leaning against the doorframe and him in front of her, in silence. She peered up at him, at that dorky grin and those bright blue eyes and it felt good. He was good, good to her. He still understood her, he stood by her. He helped her. He, unlike so many other people, cared about her.

Despite her better judgement, despite what her brain was telling, no yelling at her, to not do, she did. She did it.

She kissed him.

She raised herself up on her toes, slowly, leaning in to press her lips to his. It took him by surprise, but he quickly made up for it, wrapping her up in his arms, pulling her closer to him as they kissed, all the years of unspoken words and feelings coming forth. For what seemed like ages they stood there, kissing in the doorway, happy and content.

Killian pulled away, resting his forehead against hers, lips starting to form a smile. "That was-"

"A one time thing." She said as she realized what she had done. She could not lose Killian. They would never work. Nothing ever did for her. She just ruined things, she knew it. What was she thinking.

Killian loosened his grip on her and she stepped back. "I'm sorry." She whispered over and over, creating more distance between them. He said nothing.

"I'm sorry." She said as she disappeared behind the door, slowly closing it, leaving him confused on the other side.

But leaving herself broken on the inside.

* * *

 **Okay, so you may all hate me. Let me know about your hate (or love or whatever) in the comments.**

 **Speaking of reviews, once this story reaches 100 reviews, I will reveal the plot and title for my next mulitchapter fic. So, comment away.**

 **Also, I have reached 100,000 collective words on my profile. Thought I would share that with you all. Thank you for making this milestone possible. You are all so amazing! Thank you for reading!**


	21. Problems Haunting

**Sorry about not updating last week! I was really sick and did not get around to it. This chapter is a bit shorter, but important. Next week's chapter should be longer though!**

 **Review responses:**

 **NecieLauren-That chapter was fun to write and fitting in that iconic kiss scene was so great! Hope you stick around to see what happens with them!**

 **Andria-More Emma and Henry in this chapter!**

 **Guest-I guess my job is a success! I update (normally) every Tuesday! Maybe after my semester ends I will update more! Hope you enjoy!**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

 _Chapter 21: Problems Haunt_

Ignoring Killian was easier said than done. They lived in a small town and not seeing each other was not exactly an option. They ran into each other at Granny's, on the sidewalk, virtually everywhere.

So, the next option, after avoiding him, was pretending the kiss never happened.

Emma knew that it was not fair to either of them to forget about their shared kiss and just move on like nothing happened, but it was all she could do. Their friendship was not worth the risk. She could not lose him just because she had acted out of impulse.

Things were weird when they saw each other. Neither of them had spoken of the kiss or told anyone else. There was an awkward vibe whenever they were with each other, but neither addressed it. They did not have any real conversations in the past week, Emma often hurriedly rushing out, claiming she had a butt load of work to do at the station.

There was an undeniable connection between the two of them. It was obvious to everyone, including Emma. But everyone Emma ever got close to left her. Even Killian left her alone before, even though he had not wanted to. The universe did not want Emma to be happy. It was not in the cards for her.

Things would go back to normal eventually. They would forget anything ever happened and simply be friends again. It was better that way, for both of them.

Maybe if Emma kept telling herself that she would finally believe it.

* * *

"Hello, Captain." Killian heard called out to him. He looked up from his work on the dock to see David Nolan approaching him.

"Hello, Sheriff." He said, reaching for a towel to wipe his hands. "What brings you by the docks today?"

"Patrol." David answered when he was finally close enough to Killian to have a civil conversation. Killian had known David ever since he moved to Storybrooke. The duo had made quick friends, spending much spare time either on the waters sailing or in the Rabbit Hole.

"Is there a problem officer?" Killian joked.

David rolled his eyes. "Well, I was just coming over to say hey, but if there needs to be a prob-"

"I assure you, I have managed to stay out of trouble."

"Good." David gave a deep laugh, before his voice turned more serious. "You left the Rabbit Hole early the other night. Everything all right?"

"You noticed that? I thought you and Mary-Margaret were too drunk." He tried to make light.

"We were not that drunk." David insisted. "We noticed you slip out. With Emma, might I add."

Killian groaned. "David, not this-"

David's hands shot up, defensively. "That's not what I was doing! I was asking if everything was alright. It's not like you to bail."

"Aye, mate. I apologize. Emma and I figured since you all had had a few too many pints that our presence would not be missed."

David nodded. "You two go home?"

"Granny's." Killian corrected him, earning a raised eyebrow from David. "Not anything like that. Just hot chocolate. I walked her home after that. End of story." _Minus our kiss_ , Killian thought, but that information was probably better kept for himself.

"Okay." David seemed sufficed. "Just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Thanks, mate."

"I probably should get going. Patrol the rest of the town." David said. "We should go sailing this weekend. Weather's getting nicer."

Killian nodded. "Aye, mate. That we should. I'll notify Will and Robin and see if they can make it."

"Sounds good. See you later, Killian." David said before walking off to finish his job.

Killian ran a hand through his hair before turning back to his work. This would all get easier with time he told himself. He liked Emma, had since he was a kid, but after their kiss, she had run for the hills. He knew that she was scared, just has she had been all those years ago, but her walls were higher now. She did not want to let him in and have any type of relationship with him. Even their friendship was no awkward.

But Killian Jones did not give up. He loved a challenge.

* * *

Emma loved getting to see Henry. He always was able to lift her spirits. Today, they found themselves at Granny's enjoying an after school snack. Emma had postponed her lunch break so she could come to the diner with Henry, resulting in her being extra hungry and a bit less patient for her Grilled Cheese. The boy besides her happily drank his milkshake, only taking a break either to talk to her or munch on some french fries.

"And in history we learned about the resistance period!"

"Renaissance." Emma corrected him smiling.

"Right." He nodded before taking another bite. "It was kinda boring though. Just a bunch of fancy people."

"What about recess?" Emma asked, onion ring in hand.

"I read." Henry shrugged. "Ava and Nicholas are out of town visiting their mom."

"Do you not like to play with anyone else?"

"Not really. A lot of the kids won't be my friend because they are scared of my mom." Henry seemed unphased by this, almost used to it.

"I'm sorry, Henry. Kids can be cruel."

"Yeah." He muttered before turning his attention back to his food. "Do you think Neverland is in some other realm or it's here and we just can't see it because no one believes?"

Emma laughed a bit at his question. She loved Henry's imagination and his outlook on life. It was much more positive than her's had been when she was his age. "Don't know, kid. Probably some other realm."

"How does he get here then?" He asked.

"Doesn't he fly?"

"No, I mean how does he cross realms. That sounds like a lot of work."

Emma took another bite of her food. "I don't know, kid. I thought you were the expert."

"I am, but sometimes it's nice to get a second opinion."

"And I'm your second opinion?" Emma laughed again.

"Henry!" A yell cut through the dinner. Henry's little face immediately shriveled into a fearful expression as he sat perfectly still. Emma leaned past over a bit to see a tall, thin woman with dark hair dressed very professionally making her way towards them.

"Henry Daniel, I told you to go straight home after school, not go to the dinner for sweets! You know you do not eat sugar!" She all but yelled, now standing next to where Henry and Emma sat.

The woman turned towards Emma. "And you! Who are you?"

Emma sat stunned for a moment, slowly opening her mouth to answer. "I'm-"

"Oh, I know who you are!" She cut Emma off. "You are that Sheriff. What is it, Goose?"

"Swan." Emma gritted through clenched teeth.

"Whatever." The woman waved her hands. "Henry, let's go."

"I want to stay with Emma." Henry said, very calmly all things considering.

"Now, young man!" She said sternly. She looked back at Emma. "As for you, don't even think about coming near my son again."

"Mom!" Henry cried out.

"Let's go." She told him, before roughly grabbing his backpack and motioning him to follow her.

"Bye, Emma." Henry whispered as he got up and left. Henry's mother shot Emma a dirty look before walking out the diner with him, not even bothering to offer an apology to the others in the restaurant.

Emma might now have had a mother while she was growing up, but Henry's alternative seemed rough as well. Henry was clearly upset at his mother's outburst and at her saying he could no longer see Emma.

Emma pushed her food away. She was no longer hungry. The incident with Henry's mother was enough to take away her appetite. It did not matter what that woman thought of her, one thing was certain. Emma Swan did not give up when things were important to her and Henry was the most important person in her life.

* * *

 **Sorry that that was a bit shorter. Hope you liked it though. Please review. Once we get to 100 reviews, I will reveal the plot and title of my next story! See you next week!**


	22. Rain, Rain, Go Away

**I am so sorry I did not upload on Tuesday! This week has been insane. Finals are coming up, so I may not have the next update for next Tuesday, but I will try my hardest. I hope all of you who are also facing finals do well, don't get to stressed out, and enjoy your last few weeks at university for the year.**

 **Review responses-**

 **Andria- I love Henry and Emma too! Watch out for more between them and how their relationship plays out (especially with Regina in the way)**

 **Fanfic333- I love that you love this story. Hopefully, after this next week, I will be able to get the updates consistently every week. I will do it for you!**

 **Please enjoy and review! We are almost at 100 reviews! So exciting!**

* * *

 _Chapter 22: Rain, Rain, Go Away_

One time when Emma was seven, she got stuck outside in the rain. The water fell on her face and the cold nipped at her bones. At the beginning, she hated it. Hated feeling vulnerable, feeling pain and feeling unsteady. Her cheap shoes soaked through and her clothes were sopping with water. But eventually she started to enjoy the rain. If not enjoy, at least tolerate. The noise it made when it hit the ground made her forget her troubles, forget everything about her life. She got used to the rain.

She experienced even more rain after she ran away. There is nothing to shield the rain away from the homeless girl on the street.

Emma was so furious she did not even realize when it had started raining. But at some point, she found herself, in the outskirts of town, dripping wet, her blonde hair sticking to her face and her clothes forming to her body. She had needed to walk, to blow off some steam after her confrontation with Regina. The sky looked dreary when she left the diner, walking with no destination in sight, but no water fell from the sky. At some point during her lamentations the sky opened up.

There were cabins in this area that she never knew about. Houses placed sporadically around the trees, looking homey and quaint. The houses were close enough to town that people had community, but far enough that they could escape.

Emma had no idea how much time had passed since she left the diner. Lost in her own thoughts, she had no sense of time. Her brain told her no more than an hour could have passed, that she could not have roamed around town for longer than that, but Emma honestly had no idea. Regina's actions just made her so-she did not even have the words to describe it. The woman had an amazing son, yet she oppressed him. She did not even listen to Henry back there, just yanked him out like he was some type of animal. Emma knew little about family, but she was certain that was not the way a mother should treat her son.

A voice called out among the sound of the rain and the billowing of the thunder. Emma turned slightly, not able to make out the words. When she was no one around, she told herself that it was her imagination. She was clearly losing it. The noise, sounding just like a person, rang out again though,louder this time.

"Emma" She finally heard real words. She whipped her head around, finding a slightly wet Killian standing in front of one of the cabins. Emma suppressed an eye roll, cursing her bad luck for seeing the two people that she did not want to see all within the matter of a few hours.

"What are you doing out here?" She called out over the rain.

He walked towards her. "I live out here. The real question is what are you doing out here?"

"Walking?" Emma offered a feeble attempt at an answer.

Killian chuckled. "Why don't you come inside until the storm passes?"

Emma hesitated for a moment. They had barely spoken in the past week, since their shared kiss. Obviously things were tense between them. Emma was not good at relationships-any type. She ruined everything she touched.

But then again it was practically down pouring and she was soaked to the bone.

"Thanks." She whispered as she followed him into one of the cabins. She walked through the front door, eying the room subtly. The room was clean and organized, and Emma chuckled a bit to herself. Killian had always been a neat freak, even when they were kids.

"Nice place."

Killian smiled a bit, leaving her standing at the by the door to move into the room to grab a blanket. He came back to her, draping it around her body. "Thank you, lass. Why don't you come sit down while I find you something dry to change into?"

Emma just nodded, not knowing what exactly to say. She sat in silence for a few moments, looking around the room. It was simply decorated, no pictures up and very few personal items on display. Of course, foster kids had a way of not being sentimental.

Killian returned, folded up clothes and a large towel in his good hand. "It's all I have. If you don't feel comfortable-"

"Thanks, Killian." She cut him off.

"Bathroom's over there. Second door on the right." He pointed down the hallway. She gave him a nod of thanks before going to change.

When she returned from the bathroom, still somewhat uncomfortable, but now dry, dressed in what she assumed was a pair of his sweatpants and an old tshirt, Killian was sitting on the couch two mugs in front of him.

"I figured you might like something to warm you up." He said. Emma smiled and moved towards to couch, keeping the blanket he had given her earlier wrapped tightly around herself.

"Might I ask why you were out there in the rain?" He questioned as she sat down.

"It wasn't raining when I started walking." Emma muttered.

"What brought you all the way out here?" He reached for his mug. "Sheriff duties?"

Emma ran a hand through her hair, only managing to tangle it more. "Just went on a walk. Kinda forgot to look where I was going."

"Lost in thought?"

"Something like that." Emma took a sip of her drink. She smiled when she tasted it and saw he remembered the cinnamon.

"I suppose you don't want to talk about it then." Emma knew that after all these years, he could still read her like an open book. She normally hated that, hated that he could still see right through here and she was vulnerable with someone. Everything in her told her not to get close to someone, but that made it hard with Killian.

"What makes you think that?"

"I know you, Emma." He said. She did not miss the usage of her first name. He only called her Emma when it was a more serious conversation. "You don't walk to think. You walk to forget."

Emma knew it was true. Nature soothed her, it always had. And walking through it proved to be a form of release. She could just forget everything and not be forced to think-for once. Not have to think about her next foster home, where she would sleep that night, or how her life was falling apart before her very eyes. She could just relax, something she very rarely did.

"Twenty questions?" His voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

Emma snorted, leaning over to set her cup down on the coffee table that was in front of them. "What are we, twelve?"

Killian shrugged. "Well, we never did play when we were kids. Thought we could make up for lost time."

Emma could not argue with that logic. Actually, she probably could, but it was not worth her effort. "Fine, you start."

His face lit up. "We'll start out easy, Swan. Favorite food?"

Emma raised her eyebrow at him. "Really? That's what you are going with?" He shrugged, as if his question was completely valid. Emma signed. "Grilled cheese. Let me guess yours, fish?"

He laughed. "Close. Lasagna."

"How is that close?"

"It's not but I wanted to make you feel better. Your turn."

Emma thought for a moment. The context of their question game was quite ridiculous, but she had nowhere else to go and he was saving her from having to walk around some more in the rain and risk catching a cold. "Favorite book?"

"Peter Pan."

Emma laughed. "Why is that not surprising?"

"What?"

Emma reached out for her drink again, taking a sip before she explained. "You always had a fascination with pirates when we were kids. You must want to be Captain Hook or something."

"I believe Captain Hook is not evil, but misunderstood." He said, pointedly

"Anyway, your turn."

He raised his hand. "Not so fast, Swan. You never told me your favorite book."

She sighed, mug still in hand, wrapping her hands around it tighter to pull in more of its warmth. "Princess Bride."

Now it was his turn to laugh. "Oh, is it indeed? I thought you did not like princesses?"

"I'm pretty sure I said I wasn't a princess. And either way, Buttercup is tough. She doesn't need a prince to save her."

Killian hummed, "Aye. So, Swan, how did you get into law enforcement?"

She ran a hand through her hair. It was drier now, the warmth of being inside finally taking its effect. "I wouldn't exactly call being a sheriff law enforcement."

"Bail bonds person?"

Emma nodded. "Well, there are not a lot of jobs for high school dropouts, so I took what I could get."

"Ever think about finishing school?"

Emma shrugged. "What's the point now? I have a job. I'm not proud that I didn't finish, but I did what I had to."

Neither one of them spoke for a moment, a silence falling over the room. Emma had questions for him and she knew he was more than curious about where she had been for the past ten years. It was only a matter of time before she had to lay all of her cards on the table. Killian was never one to push her, but me made it clear he cared about her and wanted to be there for her. She wanted, to at least try, to do the same for him, as a friend.

"What happened to your hand?" The words escaped Emma's mouth before she could even stop them. The question had been lingering in her head since she first noticed that it was gone, but it surely had to be a sore topic for him.

"Would you believe that a crocodile ate it?" He joked. Emma knew what he was doing, it was exactly what she would do. His walls were shooting up. Sometimes Emma forget that he had baggage too.

"Nice try, Captain Hook." Emma retorted. "If you don't want to talk about it-"

"It was a fight." Killian cut her off, his voice wavering ever so slightly. "The other guy pulled a knife, tried to stab me, but I moved. He did a lot of damage to my hand. It was hanging on by threads. Doctors said it would be impossible to save."

"I'm so sorry, Killian." Emma whispered.

"I was nineteen." He never cried, but his words were filled with emotion, catching in his throat every now and then. "He was thirty-three. Attacked me for sleeping with his wife."

"Killian-"

He raised up his hand to stop her. "I didn't know when we met. She lied to me and said she was twenty-three and working on her masters. A couple months later she revealed she was twenty-eight and married. But I was too far gone."

"I'm sorry." She repeated. She felt sorry for making him rehash the event. She never imagined the story of losing his hand looked anything like this.

"Their marriage was failing. It had been since their son died of cancer two years prior to our meeting. They had been together since they were eighteen and had him young. But after his death, her husband changed. She said he was a monster. I urged her to leave him, but she wouldn't. But she wouldn't leave me either and because of me-"

"Killian, it wasn't not your fault." She placed her hand on his shoulder.

"If she hadn't of met me, she would-"

"Killian, stop." Emma said, a bit bolder. "You didn't do it. It wasn't your fault. You made her happy, gave her something when she needed it the most. You gave her a few years of happiness. Don't regret that."

He nodded and for the first time she could see the sadness in his eyes, but no tears. Killian was not one to cry, a habit forming from his youth. "Aye. I guess you're right, Swan."

"I am." She became very aware that her hand was still on his arm, quickly removing it, hoping her very presence was encouragement enough.

"So, Swan, what about you?"

"What are you talking about?" She asked confused.

"Who hurt you?"

Emma gave a sarcastic laugh under her breath. "That's a pretty long list. You want the condensed version?"

He looked straight at her, blue eyes meeting green. "You know what I mean, Emma. When we kissed I could see it. The look in your eyes. The look of someone who has been hurt."

"I didn't realize this was the time to talk about all of our past, how do you say, dalliances." Her voice was bitter. She knew that was uncalled for, especially with what he just revealed to her. But her heart was still hard and her walls were still strong and Emma was still Emma.

Without even bothering to see if the rain had stopped, she shrugged the blanket off her shoulders and stood up, intending to leave. She got a few steps away before Killian realized what she was doing and grabbed her wrist, yelling after her, "Emma."

"What!" She turned around to face him. "You want to hear about how stupid I was? How I was seventeen and this guy ruined me for life and the best part was that I let him! That I did not learn my lesson the first time around and then found another guy who stole everything from me! That what you want to hear!" She knew she should not be yelling at him, that she was not really mad at him, but all the years of pent up anger were finally pouring out. "Because that's what happened. The little foster girl didn't learn her lesson as a kid to not trust people and got screwed in the end."

"Emma." He repeated, this time softer. He did not move closer to her, standing exactly where he was in front of her to give her space.

'I was seventeen." Emma was quieter now. "His name was Neal. I thought he loved shoplifted and moved from town to town, but I loved him so I didn't mind." Emma's words rushed together as she tried to keep a cap on her emotions. "He had stolen some watched a couple years before I met him and he thought he was going to get caught so we came up with this plan to sell the watched and move to Tallahassee. But he tricked me. He set me up to take the fall so he could run. I went to jail for two years."

"Emma, that's-"

"I was pregnant." She didn't look at him. She couldn't manage to look him in the eye. Looking past him she could do, but not at him. "I found out after I went to jail that I was pregnant.I was just another statistic. Another foster kid who got pregnant within a few years of the system. I was devastated. I never told him though. Why should I? It's not like he cared. And I was seventeen, in jail and a high school dropout! What was I gonna do with a kid? So, I gave the baby up for adoption. I gave him up just like my parents gave me up."

He took a small step closer to her. "Emma, you gave him his best chance."

"I gave me my best chance. I was thinking about me."

Killian shook his head. "I know you, Emma. You think of others before you. You knew you couldn't raise a baby then. It was not fair to either of you. But you also knew abandonment, and you did not want that for the child. So, you took a risk and hoped it was for the best. You hoped he would never end up like us and that he would have a real shot at a real future. You did the right thing, love."

She finally let a tear run free. "Thank you."

He closed the gap between them, bring his good hand to her cheek to wipe the tear away. "You're welcome, lass."

She looked down and he dropped his hand, him standing, waiting for her to say something.

"I got out and started working as a bail bonds person. Ironic, right?" She gave a pathetic laugh. "Then I met this guy Walsh while I was moving into my first apartment. I finally had enough money to get an apartment and I was so excited. He worked at the furniture store and we hit it off. We dated for eight months before he proposed. I wasn't sure, though. I waited a few days before answering, but before I could he stole all my money."

Killian opened his mouth to respond, or maybe apologize, but Emma spoke again before he could. "He must have forget that I made a living out of finding people."

Killian laughed. "That's my girl."

"I was just relieved that I was not back at square one."

"Would you have said yes?" He asked her, catching her off guard.

Emma thought for a few seconds, before answering. "No."

Killian's face lit up a bit, but he tried his best to conceal it. "Really, now?"

Emma smiled. "I don't think I could have seen a future with him."

Killian did not respond at first, instead moved a bit closer to her. There was still a good amount of distance between them, but it was closer than they had been in a while, at least since they kissed. "Emma, what are we doing?"

She looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

"Are we just going to keep pretending that there is nothing between us?"

Emma sucked in her breath. "Killian, I'm not good at relationships."

"Neither am I."

"Everyone leaves." She pushed. "I don't want to lose you. I don't want to lose our friendship."

"Love, I will never leave you upon my own will. Even when I did as a youth, I hated every minute of it. I won't leave this time unless you tell me too."

"Killian, I'm broken." She whispered.

"You're perfect." He told her. She gave him an unbelieving look. "Love, I'm broken too. But I want to try and become whole."

"I can't make you whole, again."

Killian shook his head. "That's not what I was asking. I have to do that on my own. As do you. But I still want to be with you, brokenness in all. Believe it or not, Emma, but we still make quite the team."

She gave him a slight smile. "Maybe we do." She paused for a moment before continuing. "I'm not promising that I will be any good at this."

"I'm not either. But we figure it out together."

"Okay."

"Really?" He asked, a mixture of shock and surprise on his face.

Emma nodded and whispered. "Yeah."

His smile grew, stretching across his face. It looked just like how he smiled when they were kids.


	23. Interactions

**This is one of those chapters where I apologize in advance. I also am sorry for the timing of this. I wanted to do some fluff after Sunday's episode, but that sadly is not the case. Maybe I will do a oneshot this week though. Check out my series of oneshots for a pick me up!**

 **Hope you all enjoy! We are almost at 100 reviews! Let's see if we can get there!**

 _Chapter 23: Interactions_

The rain stopped, the sun appeared to it's rightful spot in the sky, and all was right in the world of Storybrooke. Everyone was happy and at peace.

Well, everyone except Emma Swan.

Stress was not a foreign concept in her life. But lately, Emma had her fair share of it.

First there was Regina. She had made it clear that Emma was not to have any contact with Henry. Regina was a powerful woman with whom Emma had not had many interactions. She knew the mayor was the be feared.

Than there was Henry. Emma loved Henry with everything in her and not being able to see him was tearing her apart. Part of her wanted to defy Regina and see him either way, but another part of her told herself she needed to set a good example for Henry.

And then there was Killian. It had been a mere two days since the incident at his house. He was not pushing her to move, not making her state any labels on what they were or what they were doing, but they both knew waiting around was not fair to either of them. Emma still was not the type to rush into anything, though.

It was not the fact that Emma did not trust Killian that scared her. It was the very idea that she did trust him. People always left her, just when she got close to them. The same thing happened with Neal and later Walsh. She trusted them, opened herself up to them, and then got hurt because of it. Emma could not go through another heartbreak, especially with Killian.

Emma sighed, as she walked to her desk. Speaking of stress, there was a nice pile of paperwork waiting for her one her desk. Even though she only got into law enforcement because her job opportunities were lacking, she had wanted more action and less, well, sitting.

She was about to sit down when she found a cup sitting at her desk with a note on it. It read _Meet me at the park at 11:45. Enjoy your drink!_

Emma smiled. Despite her hesitancy to get into a relationship with Killian, it was moments like these that reminded her why she could trust him, why she liked him in the first place. He was always putting her first, tending to her needs. Now, he was even surprising her with drinks and trying to get her to meet him during her lunch break.

Emma was committed to making this work. She was not going to let her fear get the better of her. She did not have to make any promises to this guy, she was just meeting up with him for lunch. Lunch she could do.

It was not much, but it was a start.

* * *

Emma checked her phone again. 11:42. She had been able to leave for her lunch break a few minutes early without David questioning her too much. Her and David, along with Mary-Margaret had become closer in the months since she moved to Storybrooke. David had accepted the role of protective brother, but was leaning more towards father. She did not mind though...well, at least not all of the time.

She scanned the park, Killian nowhere in sight. She settled herself on a bench, rubbing her hands against her sleeves to warm herself. The rain had ended, but a muggy weather still loomed over the town. Her red leather jacket sheltered her from the majority of the cold, but a few chills still ran through her body.

"Hey Emma!" A voice called out from behind her. Emma cringed the moment she heard it. The sound did not belong to the accented Killian, but was much younger. Too young.

She turned around slowly. "Henry."

His face wore a huge smile, his eyes lit up with excitement. His backpack hung on his one shoulder and a heavy jacket was wrapped around him.

"What are you doing here?" She was now standing.

"I'm here to see you." He stated as if it were obvious.

"What are you talking about?"

"The note? You got it because you're here." Henry stated, sounding much more mature than his ten years.

"Right." Emma said slowly. "That."

"Who did you think it was from?"

"No one." Emma lied. She could not explain something to Henry that she did not understand. She and Killian-they were not anything. It would not make sense to Henry.

Henry seemed to accept her answer, moving past her to set his things on the bench. Emma whipped herself around. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Duh, I'm ten."

"Okay, let me rephrase that. Why are you not in school?"

"I wanted to see you." There was no guilt in the small boy's voice.

Emma shook her head. "Henry you can't just skip school to see me."

"How else am I going to? My mom won't let me out of the house anymore."

Emma kneeled down so she was at Henry's level. "I want to see you too,kid, but this is not the way. Come on." Emma reached for his bag.

Henry's happy smile turned to confusion. "Where are we going?"

"I am taking you back to school. If you're lucky, I won't tell you mother."

"Please." He pleaded, balling his hands into fists at his side. "Please don't. She'll kill me. I'll never leave the house again."

Emma held a hand out to Henry, which he hesitantly took. "I'll figure out a way for us to see each other, okay? But until then, you can't be skipping school. That's not okay."

"Fine." He huffed.

She led him to where she had her yellow bug parked and he did not seem at a nervous to climb right into the passenger seat as if he had ridden in the car a million times. Emma threw his backpack in the back row before moving to the driver's seat.

"I've missed you." Henry whispered once she had started driving.

Everything in her wanted to look over at the boy beside her and hug him tight. He was such a strong kid, but there was only so much he could take. "I've missed you too, Henry."

"Why does my mom have to be so mean all the time? Why can't you be my mom." Henry grumbled.

"Whoa, kid." She let out a little laugh under her breath. "I don't think I'd be a very good mom."

"Sure, you would." Henry perked up. "You actually care."

"Your might have a hard time showing it, but I think she really does love you."

"What makes you think that?" He asked her.

Emma sighed. "I've seen a lot of bad parents. I can just tell."

Henry sat silent for a moment, soaking in her words, before turning to her, held back by his seatbelt, and asking in a quiet voice. "Were you able to tell with any of your foster parents."

"Once I was a bit older. After I went through a few homes and saw what it was like, I was able to figure out pretty quick whether they cared or not."

"Did they?"

Emma glimpsed over at him for a second and was taken back by his youth. He was still so full of like and hope. He had faith in the future, something she had not had at his age. He loved everything, despite his upbringing. Emma only wished she could be more like Henry.

"There was one woman. Mrs. Abernathy. She was my favorite. I could tell from the beginning she was going to be good. She kept me for six months-it was the longest I ever stayed in one place.. She did what she was supposed to. She fed us, made sure we went to school, all the basics. But she really cared, in a personal way. She gave us gifts, took us out places, made sure we were happy. It was the first time I had a foster parent actually concerned with how I felt."

"She sounds nice." Henry stated, folding his hands in his lap.

"She was." Emma whispered, more to herself then Henry.

* * *

"No!"

Emma looked over at Henry with concern. They were parked in his school's parking lot, right about to go in. He hugged his knees while still sitting, making sure he was not visible from the outside of the car.

"What's wrong?"

"Look to your left. By the door."

Emma peered over to where Henry had told her and sure enough, Regina was standing there, enraged. The woman, dressed for work, was in what appeared to be a heated conversation with another adult.

"Of course." Emma muttered under her breath as she hit her head against the headrest.

"Now what?"

"Stay down, I've got-" Emma was caught off by more of Regina's yelling. She started pointing furiously at Emma's car, making her way towards it in her four inch heels that clicked as she walked.

"Of course she can spot my car a mile away." Emma mentally cursed herself for stealing a bright yellow car. Not exactly the most discreet option. "Stay in here, kid."

Emma slipped from her car quietly, pretending not to notice Regina until they were only feet away. "Hello, Mayor."

"Where's my son?" Regina seethed.

"I'm sorry? Shouldn't he be at school?" Emma had been a fugitive for years. Lying was her game.

Regina, however, did not look impressed. "Don't play stupid with me, Miss Swan. Where is he?"

"I'm sorry. I don't know."

"Sure you don't" Regina moved to Emma's car, yanking the back doors open. "He's in here, I know it. You took my son!"

The principal rushed forward, waving her hands. "Ma'am, you can't do that."

Regina spun around. "I'm the mayor. I can do whatever I please." She spit out before returning to tearing apart Emma's car.

"Regina-" She called out, hoping it would deter her.

"What?" She yelled as she crawled into Emma's car, throwing her items out the door. "You have his bag! What did you do to him?" She screamed.

"Mom, stop." A small whisper sounded.

"Henry." Regina's voice was filled with relief. Henry removed himself slowly from where he had been hiding and stood in front of Regina, who ran to him and enveloped him in her arms. "Oh Henry, I was so worried. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." He muttered through clenched teeth, trying to wiggle out of Regina's hold.

"And you!" Regina marched right up to Emma, meeting her face to face. "You kidnapped my son! I should have you arrested."

"Mom that's not what happened!" Henry yelled from behind them.

"Not now." She said to him, a tad bit quieter than her level with Emma. "Get out of my town before I make you wish you had never moved here!"

"Mom, please!"

"Henry, get inside! We will discuss your punishment later."

"Mom-"

"Now Henry!" She yelled at him. The principal took Henry by the hand, leading him inside. He was crying now and an emotional wreck due to what he had just witnessed.

Regina started pacing around, hands on her hips. "Miss Swan, are you out of your mind!"

"I didn't kidnap Henry!" Emma finally lost it.

"Are you insinuating that this is his fault?" Regina sneered.

Emma took a step closer to her. "No. I'm insinuating that this is your fault. Maybe if you didn't harp on him all of the time and showed him a little bit of love he would not have to run other places to find it."

"What do you know about family, Miss Swan?"

Emma was silent. What did she know about family? Nothing. She knew nothing.

"That's what I thought." Her voice was quieter, a normal conversation volume. "You don't stay anywhere for too long, Miss Swan. You have no roots. And if something does not have roots, it can not grow. I don't want that around Henry."

"You don't know anything about me." Emma remarked.

"I know enough. Enough to decide I do not want you around my son."

"You are hurting him."

"No." Regina stood poised, knowing exactly where she was going with the argument. "I am protecting him. Stay away from him and maybe I won't have you arrested." With that, Regina clicked off.

Emma moved back to her car in silence, picking up the items that Regina had thrown from her car. She slipped into the driver's seat and picked up her phone. The screen lit up and revealed there was a message from Killian.

 _Hello, love. Hot chocolate later?_

Emma threw her phone aside, not bothering to respond. She did not want to deal with anything right now. She could not see Killian, could not fight for Henry, she could not do anything.

All she could do was cry.

And that was what she did.


	24. Fight, Flight, or Fright

**Season five will officially be the death of me. Sunday nights episode was heartbreaking for many. I do not love how things were approached and done, but I have faith in the writers. Let's all stay strong and get ready for the season finale this Sunday. They have yet to disappoint us with a finale.**

 **Review Responses-**

 **Andria-If Emma did not run away, things would be so much simplier. But, Emma is still Emma-**

 **paupaupi-Isn't Henry just the best! He's just getting so big now and I do not know how to handle it. Stay tuned for more Regina and Emma tension!**

 _Chapter 24:Fight, Flight or Fright_

Once upon a time, Emma thought that maybe for once, things would go her way.

But knowing her life, that probably would never happen.

It had been a week since her confrontation with Regina at Henry's school. Since than, things had only gotten worse. Every time Regina saw Emma, she would give her distasteful looks, only offering a sneer in her direction. Someone anonymously sent rotten apples to her desks, apples that resembled the ones coming from the tree of the mayor's tree in her backyard and countless other antics on Regina's part in a pursuit to drive Emma mad.

Worst of all, Regina restricted Henry more than ever.

At one point, Emma couldn't take it anymore.

The result was her, standing in the middle of her apartment, throwing her few items into suitcases, with every intent of leaving town. Regina could not terrorize her if she did not know where she was. This was not letting Regina, she rationalized, it was doing what was best for her and for Henry.

Packing was an activity with which Emma was too familiar. As a child, she could pack up her few belongings several times a year, sometimes several times a month. She would simply put all of her things into a garbage bag, the black plastic starting to tear and give out, and move on to the next home, just to repeat the cycle. Emma had so desperately hoped that Storybrooke would be the end of the cycle. But some things never change for a lost girl.

Her entire life was just moving from one temporary home to the next and that was a fact that would never change.

At her core, she was still a foster kid, just looking for a home to call her own.

She moved a shirt into her suitcase before a knock at the door removed her attention from the task at hand. Instinctively, she ran a hand through her hair. No one was supposed to come over tonight-no one ever really came over. If she was going to see Mary Margaret or David, they normally opted for their place and Ruby, well Ruby opted for the Rabbit Hole.

She went to the door, not caring about the mess left inside her apartment, and swung it wide open, revealing Killian on the other side, a white pile of cloth bunched under his right arm, a cup from Granny's in his hand. He was dressed casually, his normal dark jeans and black tshirt with a leather jacket to shield him from the evening air.

"You forgot your sweater at the station. Dave was going to drop it off, but I told him I would run it by." He offered a nervous smile, awkwardly trying to remove the sweater with his prosthetic.

Emma reached for the sweater, now hanging from his left arm. "Thanks, Killian."

They stood there, her one on side of the threshold and his on the other, in silence for a few seconds before he said "I got you a hot chocolate. I haven't seen you at Granny's in a few days and thought you might enjoy one." He offered out the drink, which she took with a slight smile.

"Thanks. That's sweet."

"Emma, I-"

"Please." She cut him off, resisting the urge to talk with her hands while she held the drink. "Don't give me some speech about me avoiding you. Because that's not what I'm doing." Emma knew she was being unfair. Ever since that day at Killian's cabin, she had been giving him mixed signals. One day she was all for them starting a relationship and other days, like today, she was trying to rush him out the door with no explanation of what was going on.

"Than what are you doing, Emma?" He pleaded. "What are we doing?"

Emma opened her mouth, but no words came out. If she was honest with herself, she had no clue what she was doing. Five minutes ago she was ready to leave Storybrooke and forget everyone except Henry with the hopes of giving him a better life. She could not deny that she and Killian shared something, but maybe they were never actually meant to be together.

When she did not answer, Killian looked past her for just a second, then turned his attention back to her. "You're packing." He whispered.

"Killian-"

"You're leaving." He whispered again.

"It's not like that." She stated simply.

"Than explain to me what it is."

Emma did not respond, instead turning around and pacing inside her apartment, leaving the door open for Killian as she hoped he would get her silent invitation. It took a few seconds, but he finally entered her apartment, slowly, closing the door as he walked in.

"I just-I have to get out of here. I can't take it anymore." She vaguely stated and set her drink down on a table besides her.

He took a step closer to her. "Are you really willing to leave Storybrooke? All of your friends? Henry?" Emma only offered him a knowing look in response, resulting in him sighing and rubbing his forehead. "You aren't leaving Henry, are you?"

"Regina is awful to him-"

"Emma you can't take him!" His voice rose. By the look on his face, he could tell that he had startled Emma. He quieted when he said. "You know you can't do this."

"I don't want him to grow up like we did. I want him to have a family."

Killian shook his head. "Emma this is not the way. I more than anyone understand that you do not want anyone to have the childhood we did, but all you are doing is setting him up for more heartbreak and landing yourself in a cell."

Emma looked up at him at the mention of a cell, not sure if she should laugh or immediately sensed her tension. "Emma, I did not mean-"

She waved her hands, muttering "I know". She did not know what else she could say.

"Emma, please don't do this. Don't take him." He begged. "Don't leave."

"There is nothing left for me here." She bit back her emotions. Emma Swan did not cry.

"That's not true, love."

She shook her head roughly, walking over to a suitcase to distract herself with packing. "If I can't be with Henry then what's the point."

He moved to stand in front of her. "Running doesn't solve anything."

She shoved something into her bag before looking up at him. "It's worked in the past."

"It might remove you from the situation, but when has it ever made you happy." He challenged her.

Emma looked back at her packing. "Happiness is not in the cards for me."

He reached for the article of clothing that she was holding, taking it away from her to get her attention. "You know that's not true."

She moved from behind the suitcase to see him better. "When has anything ever gone well in my life?" She was on the verge of yelling. "My life has been a joke. My parents abandoned me and I was tossed around from one home to another. Than I finally get out of that life and I go to jail. I get out of jail and I get robbed. I come to Storybrooke, with the hopes of starting a real life, and I've got the mayor threatening me and trying to drive me out of town. Tell me where in there I got a shot at happiness?"

He took a step towards her. Now only inches separated them. "Now."

"Really?" She rolled her eyes angrily. "You chose now to talk about-whatever we are!?"

He sighed. "That's not what I was insinuating, lass. Sure, we might be something in the future, but there is a lot more than one relationship for your happy ending. But this town is good for you. Don't let one person ruin it for you. The Emma Swan I know does not give up so easily."

"I'm not giving up." She gritted through clenched teeth. "I'm trying to protect him."

"Kidnapping him is not how you protect him. You can-" The ringing of her cell phone cut him off. She gave Killian one final look before reaching for it.

"Hello?"

"Miss Swan." The voice on the other side was frantic.

"Regina?" She looked over to Killian,whose confused expression matched hers.

"Henry's gone. He ran away!" Emma's face dropped. She hadn't yet told Henry of her plans to take him to New York, to give him a new life.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course!" She yelled, ever the bitter mayor. "He never came home from school. I called them and they said never even showed up!"

Emma moved to grab her keys, motioning for Killian to follow her as she walked out of the apartment. "I'm on my way." She hung up before Regina could argue.

"What's going on, love?" Killian was on her heals.

"It's Henry. He's gone."

* * *

Several hours later, in the dark and cold of Storybrooke, Henry was found. He had not wandered far, hiding himself away by the old abandoned mines. Regina and Emma, paired with Killian, David and a friend of David's who had been at the sheriff station at the time of the call and specialized in tracking, Robin, were eventually able to find the boy around 9 at night.

Regina had rushed to him first and Emma let her. She straggled behind, waiting a few moments before approaching the boy and his mother. When he saw Emma, he tensed a bit, saying by his mother, but slipping out of her embrace.

"Henry." She kneeled so she was at his height. "I was so worried."

Henry looked down at the ground. "I just missed you." He muttered and she could tell he was holding back tears.

Emma looked up at Regina before whispering to Henry. "I missed you too,kid. But you can not just run away."

"I know." He whispered again.

Regina stepped up, breaking up their conversation. "I believe I may be partially responsible." She breathed out. It did not sound like she thrilled to be admitting this. Henry looked up at her, a bit of hope twinkling in his eyes. "I've turned into my mother. I've completely neglected you and focused on making you something. I love you, Henry. I will make more time for you, I promise."

He smiled a bit, still staring at his mother until she sighed. "And I shouldn't have stopped you from seeing Miss Swan. She only wanted to help you."

Henry's face lit up like it was Christmas. "Does that mean I can see Emma again?"

"I'm sure something can be arranged. After your punishment." Regina stated, sounding much more like her old self.

Henry's face dropped and his mother reached for his hand, leading him to her car. Emma could overhear part of the conversation consisting of Regina telling Henry how he would have no video games for a while. She smiled a bit to herself as she stood up, brushing the dirt off of her knees, looking over to see Killian making his way to her.

His good hand and prosthetic were both in his pockets, as he turned from looking at Regina and Henry to Emma. "You saved the day, sheriff?" He teased.

"You eavesdropping?" She laughed.

He shrugged. "So, all is well with the boy?"

Emma nodded. "He's going to be okay.

Killian nodded. "And you?"

"I'm not going to take him." She ran her hand through her hair, then placed her hand on her hip.

"Are you going to stay?" He asked her quietly.

Emma looked right up at Killian. "Why did you help me today?"

"I care for the boy. And for you if I haven't made myself clear yet."

"But you didn-"

"I did have to. He shouldn't have to fend for himself." Killian stated.

"You barely know him, Killian." Emma pointed out.

He took a step closer. "I know you. He's important to you. And you're important to me. But even if it were not for you, I would not leave a child to the streets. 'Tis no way to grow up."

Emma took in his words. No one had ever fought for her, let alone fought with her for something that was important to her. Killian did not think her relationship with Henry was foolish or tell her to give it up when Regina made it clear she was not welcome around the boy. He instead stood by her, encouraged her and fought with her.

He stayed when no one else did.

He knew so much about her, and yet he never left, willing at least. He stayed with her, helped her and fought for her. He fought to break her walls down, to make his way into her heart and into her life, to get her to trust him.

He succeeded.

Emma raised herself on her toes to press a quick kiss on his cheek before whispering "thank you."

He blushed and Emma had to admit to herself she loved how he looked when his cheeks were bright red. "So, Swan, you're going to stay?" His voice was a strange mixture of hope and doubt.

Emma gave him a shy grin. "How could I leave? I've got my friends here. Henry. You."

His eyes widened. "Me?"

Her grin grew larger. "I told you I wanted this. I meant it. It took me a while, but I want this. I want us."

Killian wasted no time in surging forward to meet her in an overdue kiss. His arms wrapped around her, bring her as close to him as he could. Emma raised herself on her toes again, meeting him in anticipation. The kiss seemed to last forever and yet not long enough. It was only when Emma remembered where they were did she pull away from him, slowly with hesitation, but he kept his arm around her so she could not run, resting his forehead against hers.

"Go out with me?" She gave a breathy whisper.

He chuckled. "Shouldn't I be the one asking you out?" Emma raised her eyebrow and he gave her a full out laugh. "I'd be honored, love."

They stood there, holding each other, probably longer than was appropriate, but neither cared. For once, something went right in Emma's life. She had Henry. She had Killian. She had finally found a home, somewhere she belonged.

Maybe happiness was in her deck of cards after all. She just had to keep dealing the cards to find it.

* * *

 **Please review! Two more reviews before we reach 100! I would love to make 100 before the season finale! Thank you so much for reading!**


	25. Silver Lining

**I was blown away by your reception to the last chapter! It was amazing! I can not believe how far this story has come. Only a few more chapters until the end!**

 **Review responses-**

 **Nick-Thank you! I've wanted to use Robin and he will be in the next few chapters as well! *whispers* the story trailer will be at the bottom of the chapter.**

 **fox24-Would we expect any less for our beloved Emma?**

 **NecieLauren-I needed it too! Sunday killed me. Hope this chapter helps too!**

 **Make sure to check out the story trailer at the bottom of the fic. The new story will come out shortly after this one ends! Make sure to be on the lookout!**

 _Chapter 25: Silver Lining_

It was amazing how after one brick was pushed from a wall how quickly the rest of the bricks came to the ground.

Three weeks ago Emma went on her first date with Killian, hesitant and scared as ever. Her sky high walls and power pink dress did not exactly fit each other, but the second she saw Killian, her anxiety ceases-for a few moments at least. Emma was Emma and her fears would not simply vanish overnight.

And it was that night, that beautiful night that he took her to the Italian restaurant and pulled out her chair and acted as a perfect gentleman that she confronted one of her fears. Well, technically he confronted it. They were conversing, borderline arguing,about something as they were talking a stroll through town after dinner. To this day, Emma had no clue what he had first said, her mind to far gone and to wrapped up in her nerves, but he finally asked why she could not trust him.

It was not trusting that she was afraid of. It was losing him.

But Killian, as smooth as ever, informed her he was a survivor, nothing in this world would separate him from her again, not if he had anything to do with it. And if fate played a cruel joke again he would fight tooth and nail until he was back at her side, where he belonged.

He didn't give her a chance to fight back-he kissed her before she had the chance.

Things still had not been smooth sailing after that point, Emma's walls and fears still present, but she was getting better. They had agreed to take things slow. Neither one of them could take things any other way. Heartbreak had been all too real in their lives and neither of them could dive right back into a relationship and not get hurt in the process.

Today, Killian was taking her somewhere. He refused to let Emma know where they were going. Emma pointed out that she was not one for surprises, but he reminded her he did do a pretty good job planning their first date, especially judging by the fact that they were still seeing each other. Emma could not argue with that logic.

So far, though, she should argue with that logic. It was eight in the morning on a Saturday, a time Emma tried to avoid with her very existence. But Killian insisted they get an early start on their day so she complied, but only with the agreement that he would drive and buy coffee.

Having no clue what was planned for the day, Emma opted for a casual outfit. She dressed in black skinny jeans, a white long sleeved shirt and her red leather jacket. The Maine weather was still nippy, despite the bright sun in the sky most days of the week.

They had planned on meeting outside her apartment at 8:15. Despite them being somewhat together for three weeks and having known each other for close to ten years and her having been to his place, he was still yet to come to her apartment. They were taking things slow and they meant it.

Emma grabbed her phone and her wallet and ran a hand her long blonde hair that she left down on her shoulders before leaving her apartment with one minute to spare. It was a short walk to the bottom of the building, but her anticipation for the day actually allowed her to be on time for once.

No surprise, Killian was waiting for her, punctual as ever. He leaned against his truck, paper coffee cup in hand and a smile on his face. Seeing him made her light up as well as she made her way over to him. He handed her the coffee and gave her a quick kiss.

"Hello, love. Ready?"

"Mind telling me what I might be ready for?" She teased. He led her to the right side of the truck and opened her door for her. It was a simple gesture, but a sweet one at that. It was not that he thought she could not open the door-he just wanted to be the gentleman he was and prove his affection.

He than got in the driver's seat and turned towards her. "Try something new, darling. It's called trust."

She rolled her eyes at him as she took a sip of her drink. "Just want to make sure you're not going to drive to some secluded place and kill me."

He started the car, keeping his good hand steady on the wheel and his fake hand resting between them. "This would be a part of the trust thing, love."

"You won't even give me a hint?" She pleaded.

"How's work been?" Emma scrunched her face at him when he changed the subject. "Dave tells me that paperwork has been through the roof."

"Yeah. We are pretty backed up. David really wants to hire someone else so we are not always swamped, but the position would have to be part time. We just do not have the money in the budget." Emma explained.

Killian nodded. "Who might Dave like for this position?" He wagged his eyebrow.

"Not you." Emma laughed.

He pretended to be insulted. "Why, love, Dave and I go way back. I believe he would love to work with me. Probably more so than he likes working with you."

"I'm sure you two would love working together." Her voice was light, with just a hint of sarcasm. She knew if the two of them worked together, little work would be getting done. "I just think he would like to keep the relationships at the station to a minimum."

That got Killian's attention. "Relationship, hmm? I never knew Dave felt that way about me."

She swore if she was not driving she would hit him. "You know what I mean."

He laughed, then his voice turned serious. "Is that what we are? A relationship?"

They had not really put any labels on whatever they were. David and Mary-Margaret (and of course Ruby) vaguely knew that there was something going on between them, but they were as in the dark as Emma and Killian.

"I don't know, I mean we've been seeing each other for three weeks." Emma started to ramble. "And we spend the weekends together and lunch breaks and half the time you walk me to work and-"

"Emma," He cut her off, glancing at her slightly before turning his attention back to the road. "If I have not made myself clear by now, I care for you. I want nothing more than pursue you justly."

Emma snickered at him, despite the tone of the conversation. "Pursue you justly? You make it sound all fancy."

"Shall we put it as eloquently as the teenagers and say we are 'boyfriend girlfriend?'" His accent changed with the last two words, an awful forced American accent coming through. Emma laughed at his joke nervously, but did not respond. Killian continued. "Love, what I meant is that I want to do this right. Have a real relationship with you and not mess it up."

"So, you want a relationship?" Emma asked. She did not know why she was so hesitant-she knew the answer. "Like, an exclusive one?"

"Aye, love." He answered simply. No flowery words, no long statement. Just a simple yes.

"Okay." She whispered. She looked out her window saw the Welcome to Storybrooke sign. Everything in her still wanted to ask where they were going, but she would not spoil whatever he was planning.

"So, what do you say Swan, will you be my girlfriend?" He looked over with a dopey lopsided grin.

"You're so corny."

"That doesn't answer the question."

"Yes."She answered amidst a laugh. "You're such a dork."

"Aye, but I'm your dork."

Emma smiled. Yes, yes he was.

* * *

Emma lost track of how long they were in the car. They talked about everything and anything. Childhoods, jobs, movies, books, jokes-the list went on. At some point Emma came close to nodding off, but pushed herself to remain awake for the rest of the ride. Killian, noticing this, stopped off for more coffee.

It did not take long for Emma to realize they were on their way to Boston. She had driven these highways many times. It all became very familiar when they were about a half hour outside the city. She recognized much of the area from when she was a kid.

Killian still refused to tell her what they were doing. All he would say was they would go get lunch wherever she wanted after they made one important stop. They drove to the outskirts of the city, close to where they two of them had lived together, before he finally parked the car on the side of the road and motioned for her to get out and follow him.

Emma glanced around the place. They were standing on a large grassy lot and several yards away were various stones scattered about.

A cemetery.

Emma gave Killian an unsure look, but he just smiled reassuringly before taking her hand and leading her into the cemetery.

He stopped walking and pulled her closer to his side. They were standing in front of a small tombstone that read "Eleanor Martin Abernathy. Friend, Helper, Nurturer"

Emma stared at the gravestone, before turning to Killian. "Is it-" Her words caught. Emma brought her hand to her mouth, holding back her emotion.

He nodded. "You told me you never got to go to the funeral."She could tell he was holding back tears as well. "I wanted you to have the chance say goodbye."

"Have you?"

"I've come every year for the past five years since I found where she was buried." He whispered.

Emma looked between the grave and Killian, emotion stirring in her head. She raised herself up on her toes to press a kiss to Killian's cheek and whisper "Thank you."

"You're welcome, love."

She looked back at the grave and sighed. "Do you think you could give me a moment?"

He gave her a slight smile, before kissing the top of her head and leaving her to say her words alone.

Emma moved to face the tombstone. "Hey. It's me. Emma Swan. I was your foster daughter when I was fourteen" She started out. It was a bit awkward, just talking, but eventually she got used to it. It felt like she was just talking to a friend.

"I've grown up. It's almost been ten years since I was at your house. A lot has changed." A tear fell down Emma's cheek and she did not even bother to stop it. "I got sent back into the system after you-" She could not bring herself to say the word. "But my next home was not as good as yours. You were my favorite."

"I got in some trouble when I was older, but I straightened out. I work as a sheriff now in this really small town, Storybrooke. You would love it there. Everyone knows each other and it's super quaint."She let out a little laugh. "I know what you're thinking. You can't really see me in a town like that. Neither could I. But I really like it there. It's been good for me."

"Killian lives there too. He loves it there. We've reconnected and-and we're happy. He's taught me that it is okay to trust. That not everyone is going to leave me. You taught me that, when I was young. You did not give up on me. He doesn't either. You both loved me even though I was too broken to even know what love was."

"I've missed you." Emma continued. Every few words would be choked out as she let herself cry. "I still do. You were the closest thing I ever got to a mother. I wish I could have told you that while you were here. Thank you for taking me in and showing me what a home was. Not just another house that I would hate, but a home. With a family. You are always going to be my family. You cared when no one else did and I can't ever say anything to thank you enough. I love you, Mrs. Abernathy."

Emma stepped back from the grave in silence. Absent mindedly, Emma brought her hand to her chest to grip her necklace, but instead of grabbing the key chain that Neal gave her that she normally wore, she gripped her other necklace. Her long silver chain with the silver circle at the bottom. The one that had been Mrs. Abernathy's.

The one that would remind her to hope.

* * *

 **Here is the (tentative) synopsis for my next story!**

 **Retrograde-**

 **After an accident, Killian wakes with amnesia. He can remember very little from his life, but one name stands out: Emma Swan. Only problem? Killian and Emma have not been on speaking terms for six months. Emma is dealing with her own problems and is too broken to help him. Her life is spiraling and she can barely save herself, let alone him. Can these two broken souls fix each other?**

 **Thanks for reading! See you next chapter. Make sure to be on the lookout for Retrograde!**


	26. Bygone

**Thank you so much for the reception to the last chapter. I was blown away. There are only a few more chapters to In the Midst. I can not believe it is almost over. I might upload later this week since this chapter was a bit shorter, but we shall see.**

 **fanfic333-That conversation was so hard to write. Glad you enjoyed it!**

 **paupaupi-Our Emma certainly has grown, has she not. And thank you for your feedback on the new story. It will be up soon. Keep an eye out for it!**

 _Chapter 26:Bygone_

For one of the first times since she started her job as sheriff, Emma might actually get out of the station on time. She normally worked late, trying to finish up some paperwork and often got put on the nightly patrol.

David had convinced her to bring on a new deputy to help delegate some of the work. The crime rate was small due to the population of the town, but there was still work to be done and having an extra person on staff helped minimize Emma and David's amount of work.

She had spent that day training their new deputy, Robin Locksley. He was a quick learner and a hard worker, adapting to whatever Emma asked him to do. He was even taking a late shift on his first day of work. Emma and David could definitely get used to having help with the work.

At 5:12, Emma saw Killian and Henry walking towards her desk and smiled. Emma and Killian were were supposed to go to David and Mary Margaret's loft for dinner that night after dropping Henry home. Regina had a meeting that day and Killian had offered to pick him up from school and take him sailing. Regina, getting a bit better with sharing her son, eventually complied.

Emma met Killian in the open area by her office and he greeted her with a quick kiss to her forehead, keeping things modest considering they were in public and Henry was standing right there. She moved out of his embrace to Henry, who squirmed a bit to see the new person in the room.

"That's Robin, right?" Henry asked.

Emma nodded and turned to where Robin was standing, filing papers. "Robin, you know Henry and Killian, right?"

Robin looked up and walked across the room so he could shake hands with Killian and Henry. "Of course. I've known Killian since I moved here. And I believe I met Henry briefly a few weeks ago."

Henry blushed so Killian took over the conversation. "Nice to see you again, mate. How's the new job treating you?"

Robin smiled towards Emma. "Quite well. I'm thinking I might enjoy it girlfriend there is quite the task master, though."

"Hey!" Emma tried to sound serious, but it was hard with Henry and Killian laughing besides her.

"You're just dedicated, love. Always have been." He said to her, placing a kiss to the top of her head and turning back to Robin. "How's your lad?"

"Roland's wonderful. He's staying with my friend John tonight. I'm lucky he offered to let Roland stay with him when I have night shifts."

"Roland is always welcome with me whenever John is busy." Killian offered.

Robin nodded. "Dave and Mary Margaret said the same. I'm quite lucky to have the support system I do. Speaking of those two, you should get going. I would not want Mrs. Nolan getting mad at me for keeping you all late."

"You're right. Plus we've got to get the kid home." Emma elbowed Henry.

"Right." Robin said. "Tell your mother hello for me, Henry."

Henry nodded and they all said their goodbyes. The weather was nice that night, so they decided to walk Henry home. The beginning of their walk consisted of Henry telling Emma a bit of what he did at school, but mainly him telling her everything he had done on the ship. He went on and on about all he had learned and done and how Killian even let him steer.

As they neared Henry's home, the boy turned to Killian and asked, "Where is Robin's wife?"

Killian sighed. "Marian passed three years ago."

Henry nodded. "So, he's single?"

"Henry-"Emma warned.

"Hear me out!" Henry told her. "I think my mom needs...someone in her life to make her happy. Someone besides just me. She needs a relationship like you two." He motioned between Emma and Killian which made Emma blush and Killian laugh. "And I think she might like Robin. She's mentioned him a few times since they met."

"So, what's your plan?" Emma asked, sceptical. "Just set the two of them up? Your mother will never see through that."

Henry gave her a look like what she was saying was ridiculous. "No. Of course not. We need a plan. A real one. We'll call it-Operation Penguin."

"Penguin?" Killian questioned the name choice.

"They mate for life. I learned that in school last week." Henry explained. They now stood on his street, only a few houses away from his. "It could work."

"Robin has not dated since his wife, lad." Killian told him.

"And I don't know how much you mother is in the market for dating." Emma said.

"Come on, you two!" Henry insisted. "You two got together. Why can't they? You just have to believe."

Emma kneeled so she was level with Henry. "I do, kid. I believe in you. And if you think that they could work, I believe you. But sometimes adults do not always see that."

"Adults always make things more complicated than they need to be." Henry grumbled.

Emma stood up straight again. Henry pushed on the gate that surrounded his house and the door opened. "I'll tell you what, kid. You figure out Operation Penguin and we'll talk about it over Granny's on Friday. How does that sound?"

A smile lit up the boy's face. "Thanks Emma!" He gave her a hug and then turned to run to his front door. "Bye Emma! Bye Killian!"

"That's quite the boy you've got there, Swan." Killian whispered to her when Henry was safely inside and they were on their way to David and Mary Margaret's loft.

"Don't I know it." Emma smiled.

* * *

"Sweetheart, relax." David told his wife as he, Emma and Killian sat at the dinner table and Mary Margaret still ran around the kitchen trying to make something perfect.

Mary-Margaret relented, giving her husband an exaggerated sigh before she joined them at the table. David placed his hand over her's and looked at Emma and Killian with a smile. "The reason we invited you over tonight is we actually had some news to share with you two."

Mary-Margaret's mood instantly changed and she wasted no time announcing, "We're pregnant!"

"Congratulations!" Killian responded immediately. "Mate, we knew it was only a matter of time."

David laughed and Emma assumed it was some type of joke between their friend circle. Emma realized it had been a few moments and she still had not said anything. She pushed all of the thoughts from her head and turned to her friends.

"Congrats, you guys." She said sincerely. "You are gonna be great parents."

"We still have a few months," Mary-Margaret jumped in, "but we really wanted you two to know."

"You really want me to have an influence on your child?" Killian joked to David.

"Better you than Ruby." Was his quick retort and the entire table erupted in laughter as they further talked about baby plans, enjoying the dinner Mary-Margaret had prepared.

* * *

After a few hours of laughter with the Nolans, Emma and Killian decided to call it a night. Killian insisted on walking Emma home, even though she was in the same apartment building as the Nolans. She did not argue the company though.

"You alright, love?" He asked her as they made their way to the stairs.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

Killian opened his mouth slowly to respond, tentatively deciding his words. Emma figured out what he was talking about and cut him off. "Right. That." He was referring to the fact that was her life. Someone else got something and she did not. The Nolans were having a baby and she gave hers away. "I'm happy for them. Really. I still think about...that, when things like this come up, but that doesn't mean I am any less happy for them."

Killian nodded. "Would you ever see yourself having another child?"

Emma knew he was referring to in general, not their specific relationship. It was way too early for them to be discussing children.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not really family material." Emma remembered an old perp she tracked down, Ryan, that reminded her how little she knew about family. That conversation ended with Ryan knocked out, and rightfully so.

"I don't believe that, love." He whispered. They were standing in front of her apartment door. "You have the biggest heart I've ever seen."

"Thanks, Killian." She lay her hand on his chest.

"I suppose I should get going. Early shift and all." He finally said. Emma nodded and she moved to kiss his cheek goodnight, but he was having none of it. He moved so she missed his cheek and gave him a full on kiss. Not that she was complaining.

She pulled back a few seconds later, a smile on her face. "G'night, Killian."

"Goodnight, my love."


	27. Simply Hello

**Since the last chapter was pretty short, I thought I should update again this week. Also, I just could not wait for you to read this chapter. This will be the last chapter before the epilogue. I can not begin to explain how much you all have meant to me. Thank you so much for your encouragement throughout this story. It would not have looked the same without you all.**

 **Review responses**

 **fanfic333- Adding Robin has always been a goal. He will be much more prominent in my next fic. Make sure to check it out. Thanks for your dedication to this story!**

 **fox24-Isn't Henry just the best when he is up to something?**

 **I love you all. This chapter is dedicated to you.**

 _Chapter 27: Simply Hello_

Operation Penguin worked. Eventually.

It only took two months.

Henry orchestrated most of it, both Killian and Emma saying it was best not to intrude in Regina and Robin's business. Henry was stubborn though, she would give him that. The plan started simply-have Robin over for dinner, offer to play with his son in the park, things like that. Than, seeing that things were not going as quick as he would have liked, he started pulling some fast ones. He would ask his mom to pick him up at the sheriff's station and only every now and then would be actually be with Emma somewhere else and conveniently have forgotten to tell his mother. That gig had to be stopped after a few executions due to his mother's anger.

But about two months into Henry's infamous operation Regina called Emma and asked her to watch on Henry on a Saturday night. Regina did not reveal too many details, but Henry let her know what was happening the minute he burst through the door. His plan had worked-his mother was on a date with Robin. They both swore it was just casual, but Henry saw right through everything.

That kid was too smart for his own good.

One bright side of Henry's success was Regina's mood change. She was much happier, though she would not say why, but everyone knew. As a result, she was much more lenient with letting Emma see Henry, a plus for the two of them. If Regina dating meant Emma had more freedom with Henry, she was all for it.

Emma had no clue how Henry did it, but somehow he managed to figure out what everyone wanted before they even knew. It was like he had some type of gift.

* * *

"And here's his little foot!" Mary Margaret squealed one night at girls' night. She had just come from a doctor's appointment that day and found out the gender of her baby-a little boy.

""We are never going to have another conversation that doesn't involve the word 'baby' again, are we?" Ruby groaned.

"Oh hush, you." Aurora scolded her. "You know you're excited."

"Never said I wasn't." Ruby took another, large, sip of her wine. "Just mean that Emma and I are going to need to gang up against all of you mothers."

"What about me?" Belle asked. She was the other attendee with no child.

"Honey," Ruby waved her hands as she talked. "You'll have a bun in the oven within the year, trust me."

Belle just blushed at Ruby's remark and Ashley took control of the conversation. "Em can't be too far behind Belle, right?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "We've been together for three months. Calm down."

Ruby lit up again. "Oh you two are totally getting married."

"Ruby, how much have you had to drink?" Emma teased. "Maybe you should just have water like Mary-Margaret."

"I'm serious, Em."

"What about you?" Ashley pointed at Ruby. "You and Whale?"

Ruby blushed and all the other girls laughed. "I don't think marriage is in the cards for us."

Belle mumbled something under her breath as she took a sip of her drinks-something along the lines of "yeah right."

"Whatever," Ruby muttered.

"I'm telling you," Mary Margaret started. "There is something in the water here. Everyone's having babies and falling in love."

"You should probably mention that on the town's info page so people know that before they move here." Emma joked and everyone laughed. Even if she had known was would happen to her, she probably would not have changed it. Happiness was not the worst thing in the world.

Not by any stretch.

* * *

Emma was not one for big romantic gestures. Really, any type of proclamation of feelings was foreign to her-it was a side effect of growing up the way she did.

That morning, while she was at work, she received a text from Killian telling her to be dressed casually and ready to go by 6:30 that night. She smiled at the sentiment. Not many people went out of their way to do something nice for her and though the gestures were new to her, she was learning to be open to them.

Her relationship with Killian was a learning experience for both of them. They both had been broken and abandoned and had to figure out how to put themselves back together while also learning how to open up to someone else. Emma knew it was as hard for Killian as it was for her, but he always insisted to her that he was a fighter and was not going to give up on her or their relationship.

Prompt as ever, at 6:29 Emma heard a knock on her apartment door. She ran her hands over her black skinny jeans and went to open the door. To no surprise, a smiling Killian was standing on the other side, dressed in black jeans and his leather jacket and a rose in hand.

"For you, milady." He offered the flower to her. She blushed and invited him inside while she found a vase for the flower. She looked around for a few moments before realizing she did not own one-she never had a reason to, so she found a large plastic cup and filled it with water and place the flower in that. Killian just rolled his eyes.

"Ready?" Killian asked as she grabbed her red leather jacket. She nodded and he interlocked their hands and led her out of her loft.

"So, what are we doing tonight?" Emma questioned after they were outside the loft building.

"I was thinking a nice walk in the park and then dinner at Granny's to celebrate." He stated casually as they made their way to the town park.

"Celebrate what?"

"Celebrate what?" Killian faked offense. "Why, love, did you forget our anniversary?"

"Anniversary?" She raised her eyebrow. "We've been dating for three months and I'm pretty sure even if we were doing the whole month anniversary thing it would be next week."

He let out a laugh, pulling her a bit closer to his side as they crossed the street. There were few cars out-everyone opting to be home with their families after a long day of school of work. When they stepped back onto the sidewalk he said, "It's the anniversary of the day we met." He told her.

"Really?" She looked up at him, her voice a mix of disbelief and shock. "How did you know that?"

"How could I forget the best day of my life?" He smiled at her, but she was not completely buying it. He sighed. "I'd love to tell you I have a bloody fantastic memory, but alas, I wrote it down in a journal when I was a lad. I still hold to the fact that it was one of my best days, though."

"One of mine too." She told him. They entered the park and made their way to the trail around the pond-one of their favorite to walk together.

"Ten years." She whispered. It did not feel like ten years since they had met. Their time together as foster kids seemed like just yesterday but it also seemed like they had known each forever. And to think, for knowing of each other for ten years they had only been together physically for about ten percent of that. And of that year, they had spent six months as foster kids and three months dating.

"I know, love." He said. "It's been a good ten years."

"Not all of it." She reminded him.

"No." Killian agreed. "But I would do it all again if it meant I got to be here with you."

Emma thought of her past ten years. She had lived through a lot, but maybe it was all worth it for the end goal-a home. A real one. She found that in Storybrooke. She had friends that cared about her and wanted to see her happy. There was a little boy with hope in his eyes that looked up to her and that she saw so much of herself when she looked at him. A little boy who was not going to be little that much longer that taught her so much about love and strength. And of course, there was Killian who was teaching her to open up and how to trust. Killian, who gave her a second chance.

"Me too." She whispered.

"You're different than you were when we were younger." He said and waited a few seconds before adding. "Good different."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

He blushed a bit. "You were fantastic than, Swan, don't get me wrong. But ever since you moved here-you can see it in your eyes. You have a new outlook on life. You are extremely passionate and you're learning how to open up. You're, dare I say, happier."

"I am." She validated his point with a kiss to cheek as they continued to walk on the trail.

"Storybrooke's been good for you. It's been good for me too." He murmured.

"It's almost magical." She chuckled.

"You're starting to sound like Henry."

"I guess he's rubbing off on me." She would be lucky if she was half the person Henry was.

"We've been through a lot," He started. "More pain than either of us ever expected, but more happiness too. We did not start out the greatest, but I like where I ended up."

"So do I, Killian." She squeezed his hand.

He slowed their pace until they were standing still."Emma, I know it's only been three months and we agreed to take things slow, but I-"

"I love you." She cut him off. She had been nervous about saying those three little words to him for so long, but now that they were in the open, she felt at peace.

He did not question her. Did not tease her or raise his eyebrows or do some goofy thing like she thought it might. He simply whispered, "I love you too,Swan. So bloody much."

She did not hesitate when she leaned up and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her as close as he could to him and then some. She reciprocated, needing to feel him, to love him. Ten years of emotions, of hurt and pain and frustration and most importantly love she poured out into that kiss. Ten years of words that she could never say were explained then and there.

It was there she absolutely knew she was home.

And that Killian Jones would always be her favorite hello.

* * *

 **See you next week for the epilogue! Please review! Let's see how many reviews we can get up to before the epilogue!**


	28. Epilogue

**Here is the epilogue. I can not believe this story is already over. I am so excited for you to read this chapter. It takes place about a year and a half after the last chapter and will cover a few years of Emma and Killian's future and what happens in Storybrooke. I hope you all enjoy!**

 **A message to all who reviewed and read: Thank you for your encouragement throughout this story. Your kind reviews always made me so happy and I loved getting to see what you guys were thinking. You have all made this experience so much better. You are all amazing.**

 **Make sure to keep watch for my next story, Retrograde, coming soon! Also make sure to see my new little project Red Rose. I might be updating soon!**

 _Chapter 28: Epilogue_

Emma's heart swelled with pride when she sat in the audience for Henry's sixth grade graduation. The boy insisted she be there, along with Killian. They sat with Robin, Regina and Roland, all proudly watching their boy up on stage.

Henry had come a long way from when she met she looked at him, she still saw a little ten year old boy with shaggy brown hair and the biggest, sweetest eyes. He was a little over twelve now, with his hair much neater and his voice getting lower. Henry was growing like a weed and Emma joked that within no time he would be taller than both her and his mother.

A tear slipped from Emma's eye when Henry was given an award for his writing skills. The boy had definitely come into his own over the past year and found his talent with words. He was discovering who he was with a pen in hand.

The ceremony continued, different children accepting different awards, until they announced the graduating sixth grade class. There was no turning of the tassels or long speech, just a congratulations on their hard work in elementary school and an encouragement to keep it up in junior high.

After it was all over,Henry rushed to find the group at the reception, his award in hand.

Naturally, Regina embraced the boy first. "Oh, Henry, I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks, mom." Henry blushed. His relationship with his mother had been a tough one, but it was getting better. His mother had changed for the better over the past two years, with the help of both Henry and Robin. They had been constants in her life and helped her become the person she wanted to be.

Regina retreated back to her fiance, Robin's side, as little Roland rushed over to Henry. "Watcha get? Watcha get?" The now six year old bounced with excitement. Henry kneeled down and showed his soon to be step-brother the award. Henry had taken to the role of big brother like a fish to water.

When Henry stood up, Emma let out a not so subtle cough to get Henry's attention. He smirked and walked over to her.

"Good job, kid." She whispered to him as she hugged him.

"Thanks, Emma."

Killian patted him on the back. "Well done, lad."

"Thanks, Killian."

Roland's patience started to wear thin so his father took him to get the piece of cake he had been promised for sitting through the entire ceremony. A few moments later, Henry said, "Hey mom, is it alright if I go see with my friend Violet? I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Violet?" Regina raised an eye at her son.

"Mom." Henry groaned.

"Go." His mom said with a small laugh. "Just don't get dirty. I want to get some more pictures.

"Thanks mom!" He ran off.

"Violet?" Regina questioned to Emma, who shrugged. "I don't know if I can handle dating yet."

"Don't worry." Emma said. "As long as he doesn't come up with an operation name, we should be fine."

* * *

Regina and Robin got married a month after Henry's sixth grade graduation. It was a small ceremony at a local church. Neither of them had much family, so they kept it to some close friends and of course their boys.

Henry was Robin's best remembered Regina had been shocked when Robin made that decision, thinking the role would go to either Will or Killian. But he explicitly stated he wanted Henry to do it. Henry looked quite handsome standing up next to Robin, both dressed in suites. By Henry, Killian and Will stood in as groomsmen.

The wedding went off without a hitch. Regina looked beautiful in her simply white dress and all three of her boys looked quite handsome. The happy family celebrated at the reception, Roland devouring his piece of cake, and his father and new step mother having their first dance as his new older brother made watched him.

After the couple's first dance, the dance floor was opened to all. They started with a few slow songs, at Regina's request. She was currently dancing with Henry with Robin close by, Roland in his arms. He swung the boy around, a bit too fast for the beat of the music, but the laughs from Roland made it all worth it.

Emma felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see Killian, dopey smile and all. She had not seen him much that day due to his duties as groomsman, but she was more than happy to see him now.

"Care to dance, Swan?" He waggled his eyebrow.

"I'd love to, but I don't really dance." She told him.

He did not seem to care, though, as he took her hand in his good one and led her to the floor, wrapping her up in his arms. "There's only one rule when it comes to dancing, love." He straightened up and and moved her hand to his shoulder as he brought his hands around her waist. "Pick a partner who knows what he's doing."

She snorted as he started to move them around, taking the lead. It took Emma a while to get comfortable, but eventually she got the hang of things. "You look handsome."

His lips curled into a smile. "You, my love, look exquisite." He looked at her simple green dress. "This will be us someday."

"Yeah?" Emma murmured.

"Aye." He nodded. "Dancing at our own wedding."

Normally the mention of a wedding would terrify Emma. She was not good when it came to commitment, to believing in a future, but with Killian things were different. She trusted him, leaving her no room to be scared. They were in love and she deserved to be happy.

"It will be nice." She noted.

"You'll look beautiful," He whispered in her ear. "You always look beautiful."

"Maybe we'll get married in the summer. On the beach."

He hummed in acceptance. "It will be small. Us. Henry, Regina, Robin and Roland."

"David, Mary-Margaret and Leo." She added, looking Mary Margaret, who recently announced her second pregnancy, and her little toddler Leo.

"Maybe their next child will be a girl so she can be the flower girl." He laughed.

"Maybe."

"I want to have a future with you, Emma." He said in a much more serious voice.

She raised her hand to cup his cheek. "I want a future with you too."

* * *

Killian proposed two months after their conversation at Regina and Robin's wedding. It was a late August night and they were returning from sailing for the day when he asked if she would like to take a walk on the beach, stating that he did not want their night together to end.

It was on that walk that he popped the question. He skipped the flowery words and the long rehearsed speeches and just spoke his mind.

" _Emma, love. I can not imagine a life without you. I love you so bloody much and want to spend the rest of my days with you. So, Swan, will you marry me?"_

Of course she said yes.

* * *

It was a cold October day and Emma was thankful Mary Margaret made soup. The sheriff used her lunch break that day to visit her friend, who was not working due to her being in the last few months her pregnancy. She had about two months before her baby girl would come and the doctors, along with David, insisted she get some rest.

An excited Leo ran about, telling Emma all about his new toy truck in his toddler talk. The boy was not quite two, but had exuberant amounts of energy that kept his parents busy.

"How have you been feeling?" Emma asked as Mary-Margaret placed a bowl of hot soup in front of her.

"Tired." Mary Margaret rubbed a hand over her belly. "It's harder this time because I have him to take care of I am playing with him and completely forget I am pregnant until he wants me to do something I can't"

Emma hummed as she took a bite of her food. "Do you guys have any names yet?"

"Okay," The pregnant woman started as she sat down. "We aren't really telling anyone, but you're my best friend so I have to tell you." She laughed. "We decided on Everly Ruth."

"Pretty. Everly Nolan."

Mary Margaret nodded. "Ruth is David's mother's name. We wanted to honor her like we did with my dad and Leo. And my mom's name was Eva and Everly is a variation of it. We thought it fit."

Leo started screeching happily, ramming his cars into one another as he played in the living room.

"Quiet, baby." Mary-Margaret told him.

"You know, I can watch him one weekend." Emma offered. "That way you and David can actually get some sleep before the next one comes."

Mary Margaret waved her hand. "Nonsense. You have enough going on with the wedding."

Emma rolled her eyes. "I'm not getting married until the summer. We've got tons of time."

"That's what I said." Mary Margaret's voice was light, as if recalling a memory. "You've got a lot on your plate, Emma. Planning a wedding, work, finding a place for you and Killian to live-"

"And watching Leo will be a break from all of that. Besides, the munchkin needs some Aunt Emmy time."

Mary-Margaret sipped her water. "Won't be long before you have one of those."

Emma laughed nervously. "I think we have some time. We aren't even married yet."

"I know." Mary Margaret smiled.

Emma didn't want to fight with Mary-Margaret, so she changed the subject. "I was thinking Everly could be the flower girl."

Mary Margaret was all ears.

* * *

Emma and Killian got married in June on the beach. It was a simply wedding, neither of them wanting anything to big. Mary-Margaret was Emma's matron of Honor and Robin was Killian's Best Man. They kept the wedding party small, with only those two and Ruby, Belle, Will and David.

Little Leo, who was getting bigger and bigger every day, served as ring bearer. He walked slowly and started at the pillow as he walked, taking his role quite seriously for a two year old.

Next was the flower girl. Everly was not walking yet, so they placed the chubby six month old in a white wagon that Henry would pull. She did not get the concept of throwing the flowers, so Henry had to help her with that too.

Knowing how close both Killian and Henry were with Roland, the couple wanted to incorporate him into the ceremony too. He was the last of the children to walk down the aisle, holding a sign that read. "Uncle Killy, here comes your girl."

Killian's jaw dropped when Emma walked in and despite being a tough guy, he shed a tear or two. She was dressed in a white lace gown with a smile on her face. The minute her eyes found his she felt at peace. She was marrying the man she loved.

She wore Mrs. Abernathy's necklace around her neck. They both wanted a piece of her to be present that day. Emma smiled at the thought of the woman. She would be so shocked at what these two were doing. She must have had no idea what the future held for those two foster kids.

It was a beautiful, simply ceremony, filled with love, tears and kisses. They exchanged their vows, proclaiming their everlasting love for each other and committing themselves to the other forever. Forever always made Emma nervous-nothing lasted forever-but looking at Killian, she was excited for the future, their future.

During the reception, Killian tugged her out to dance. She happily complied, knowing the only place she wanted to be after a long day was his arms.

"You look beautiful, my love." He whispered to her.

"Thank you." She moved closer to him. "You don't look to bad yourself, sailor."

"I love you, Swan." He murmured.

She pulled back a bit to see him face. "Isn't it Jones now?" She teased.

He chuckled. "I suppose you're right, Mrs. Jones. But you'll always be my Swan."

She rested her head on his chest. "Good."

* * *

Emma and Killian stayed in Storybrooke after their wedding. Neither of them could even fathom moving anywhere else. They bought a gray house with a view of the water, ready to start their lives together.

Marriage was much different than either of them thought. They both saw how selfish they were and how hard it was to live with another person. During the first year, they saw their fair share of arguments and tension. There were many hard days.

But all those hard days were nothing compared to the good ones. Emma loved being able to come home after a long day at the station and just sit on the couch with Killian with something on the TV and talk to him about anything and everything. She loved having dinner with him and talking about their days and falling asleep next to him.

Her favorite thing was mornings when neither of them had to rush out the door to work. When they could stay in bed for hours, with lazy kisses and slurred words. It was those moments, those simple moments, that she loved the most.

About two years into marriage, however things changed. Emma could remember the day crystal clear.

She found out she was pregnant.

She and Killian had talked about kids, but decided to wait a few years before making any type of decision. They just wanted to enjoy a few years of being married.

Emma knew she was not mother material. She had grown up in the foster system and knew nothing about being a family. Marriage was one thing, but having a child-that was another story.

When Emma told Killian, he had been ecstatic, but immediately picked up on her concern.

"What's wrong, darling?" He asked, cupping her cheek. "Are you not excited?"

She looked down and moved away from him. Running a hand through her hair, she turned back to face him. "I can't be a mother." Emma breathed out. "I don't know how."

"Oh, Emma-" He whispered.

"I never had a mother." She continued. "I wouldn't know what to do. I don't think I-"

"Hey," He took a step closer to her hesitantly. "You had Mrs. Abernathy. I know it's not the same, but she loved you like a daughter. And you Emma have the biggest heart I have ever seen. You will be an excellent mother."

"What makes you so sure?" Emma hated how whiny she sounded.

He finally wrapped her up in his arms and pressed a kiss to her temple. "I know you, love. You are bloody brilliant at everything you do."

They stood there in silence, him holding her while she silently cried. She eventually whispered. "I'm scared."

He ran his hand over her hair and then rubbed her back. "I know, darling. If I'm honest, I am too. But we will do this like we do everything. Together."

She leaned out of his embrace to see him better. "You think we can do it."

He wiped away one of her tears before whispering. "We do make quite the team."

Emma leaned against his chest again. They did make a pretty good team.

* * *

A few months later, Emma sat outside her and Killian's house on the white porch swing they put in when they first got married. The white bench reminded them of their favorite spot to talk when they were foster kids.

In her arms, she held her little girl, Ellie Hope. Ellie was named after Mrs. Abernathy. When they found out they were having a girl, both Emma and Killian immediately knew they wanted her to be named after their foster mother.

Emma loved Ellie more than she could ever explain. She had been terrified for months about the baby's arrival, nervous that she could not be the mother the child deserved. But when her little girl was born, Emma forgot all of her fears when she saw the child's face. Emma had come so far from the lost girl she once was. No longer was she the foster child afraid to trust. Now she had a family of her own, a family she loved. It was better than she could have ever imagined.

Emma looked at her daughter and smiled. She remembered when she first met the girl, when she first held the little girl and whispered, "Hey there, Ellie.I'm your mommy"

For the first time, Emma Swan was no longer scared of hello.

And she never wanted to say goodbye.

* * *

 **One more review for old times sake?**


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